Armenia: General Public Prosecutor opens case on compulsion of witnesses to evidence in "Case of Seven"

Basing on witnesses' evidences about application of beatings and torture to them by law enforcers with the aim to knockout the "necessary" evidences, the General Public Prosecutor of Armenia Agvan Ovsepyan has signed a decision to open a criminal case on "compulsion to evidence".

As Sona Truzyan, press secretary of the State Office of Public Prosecutor of Armenia, told journalists, the preliminary investigation will be conducted by the National Security Service. The General Public Prosecutor has instructed to take all necessary measures to verify the witnesses' evidences announced at the trial and bring those guilty to responsibility.

Edik Khachatryan, Arsen Mkrtchyan and Yasha Melkonyan, witnesses in the case of Deputy Sasun Mikaelyan, which was isolated out of the "Case of Seven" into separate proceeding, refused at the trial from their evidences, given at the investigation, and reported have informed that violence and torture had been applied to them. Five witnesses in the case on organization of mass disorders in Yerevan also refused to confirm their initial evidences, having explained that they gave them under compulsion.