The video circulated on the Internet today, purportedly shot by an Azerbaijani, Telman Qasimov, casually strolling through the yard of an apartment building at Komitas 5A in Yerevan, is outdated. 

In an interview with the Azerbaijani media outlet 'Minval,' Telman Qasimov stated that he was born and resided at the address Komitas 5A for 17 years. After relocating to Azerbaijan in 1988, he revisited the location 35 years later, capturing footage of the yard and apartment. According to his Facebook profile, he was born in 1971. According to his interview, he left Yerevan in 1988 and returned to document it 35 years later, that is, this year. 

Infocom visited Komitas 5A in Yerevan and compared the surroundings with the video footage. We are releasing photos that clearly demonstrate the disparity between the content of the video and the present-day appearance of the yard and the building.

The footage reveals several alterations: the entrance door to the building has been replaced, the balcony on the second floor underwent reconstruction, the water fountain featured in the video has been removed, and the garage doors received a fresh coat of paint. According to the building's residents, the water fountain in video was removed this summer, specifically in August. 

The building's residents have pointed out that the replacement of the front door and the renovation of the balcony took place approximately two years ago. This suggests that the video was filmed at least two years prior to the current date.

However, Telman Qasimov, in his interview, creates the impression that the video was recorded after the forced deportation of the Artsakh people on September 25, 2023. He specifically emphasizes, 'Imagine that, even now, not all displaced persons from Karabakh have been accommodated and provided with housing. Many of them still continue to sleep in cars. These people are wandering the streets doing nothing. During my time there, I witnessed this. And while I was there, they turned off the electricity twice.'

Telman Qasimov is not discernible in the video. The video has been edited. Specifically, segments where the videographer's reflection could potentially be seen on car windows have been removed. The claim that Qasimov personally filmed the video lacks confirmation, as both the speaker's voice and the video could have been edited and synchronized seamlessly.

Did an Azerbaijani live in the Komitas 5A building?

Building residents recall that until the 1990s, an Azerbaijani named Telman, resided in their building. His mother's name was Zemfira, referred to as 'Zemfir xala' (Aunt Zemfir). 

The building's fifth floor, where the Azerbaijani claims his residence used to be, consists of three apartments. In the video, the speaker mentions names such as Lida and Rosa, identifying them as former neighbors. Specifically, he points to the apartment on the left side of the floor as his own. The current occupant, interviewed by Infocom, states that she has resided there for a long time and learned from neighbors that an Azerbaijani lived there in the 1980s, subsequently selling the property to an Armenian. Another neighbor adds that the Azerbaijani resident left in 1988-89, engaging in a house exchange with an Armenian in Baku.

It is important to note that Telman Qasimov is identified as one of the leaders of the 'environmental activists' who blocked the Lachin corridor. According to information released by the Tatoyan Foundation, Qasimov is alleged to be a military officer with a strong aversion to Armenians and serves in a special military intelligence unit. Evidence surfaced on his social media accounts, displaying connections with the extremist nationalist group 'Gray Wolves,' known for its terrorist activities. Qasimov has also shared a photograph featuring Ramil Safarov, the individual responsible for the brutal murder of Armenian officer Gurgen Margaryan while he was asleep, wielding an axe.

Update: As of December 6, the National Security Service of the Republic of Armenia has released a statement revealing that Telman Qasimov obtained the mentioned video in November 2017 from a dual citizen identified as 'A. K.,' who originally recorded footage of the building where Qasimov claimed to be 'born and raised.' The NSS asserts that Qasimov appended his voice to the video through editing, six years after its initial recording."

Hayarpi Baghdasaryan