Armenia: figurant in case of officer Nazaryan's death claims that charges against him were fabricated

The trial in the case of death of contractor officer Artak Nazaryan began the process of interrogation of the defendants. At the court session, held on June 18, Vaagn Airapetyan answered the questions of the parties and called the charges against him fabricated. Interrogation of the defendants will be continued on June 26.

Let us remind you that, according to investigators, the officer Artak Nazaryan was driven to commit suicide and shot from a service weapon on July 27, 2010. In the criminal case, five colleagues of Artak Nazaryan were detained. The main defendant in the case is Captain Akop Manukyan, the direct commander of Artak Nazaryan, Deputy Battalion Commander. The family members of the deceased man stated that the preliminary investigation had been conducted with violations of the law and represented an attempt to hide the true causes of the death of the Lieutenant.

During the interrogation, Vaagn Airapetyan, who is charged of driving Artak Nazaryan to commit suicide, stated that he had been in a normal relationship with the officer. He said that on July 19, 2010, Captain Akop Manukyan instructed him to come to the kitchen of the "Gozlu" point, which at that time Lieutenant Artak Nazaryan was.

According to Vaagn Airapetyan, he came in the midst of a dispute between Akop Manukyan and Artak Nazaryan, and he was present at the time, when Artak Nazaryan offended the Captain and he hit him in response. The defendant said that a fight occurred between Artak Nazaryan and Akop Manukyan a fight, and after that, each of the fighters was restrained by two men. The conflict ended with peaceful clarifying of relationship, and that both officers shook hands of each other.

It should be noted that during the preliminary investigation, the service uniform of Vaagn Airapetyan had traces of dried blood of Artak Nazaryan.

Further, the defendant told the court that after the death of Artak Nazaryan, he was brought to the military police, where he was kept in detention facility without giving any status. Meanwhile, Vaagn Airapetyan stated that he had not been subjected to pressure at the military police and that he had not been beaten there.

"You said that the military police had not exerted pressure on you, then why did you renounce you testimony that you gave during the preliminary investigation?" Vaagn Airapetyan was asked by lawyer Ruben Martirosyan, the representative of Tsovinar Nazaryan, the sister of the victim and his successor.

"When I signed the testimony, I did not read it, and I was not interested in it," the defendant replied.

When asked by the court, whether he was familiar with the criminal case, Vaagn Airapetyan answered in the negative. "I'm not familiar with the criminal case, since I was not interested in it. The charges were fabricated, and the witnesses, who accused me, gave false testimonies. They themselves were not present in the place on July 19," said Vaagn Airapetyan.

He also described Artak Nazaryan as intelligent and educated young man, who never expressed any discontent with military service and showed good attitude to soldiers, and he was very responsive with his colleagues. With regard to Akop Manukyan, Vaagn Airapetyan said that "he was a very good commander."

Vaagn Airapetyan stated that, he saw Artak Nazaryan for the last time on the day before his death on July 26, and then, according to him, Artak Nazaryan was in a normal mood.

When asked by Judge Samvel Mardanyan, what could make a well-educated (Artak Nazaryan was an Iranian scholar by his specialty), well-bred and promising young man to commit suicide it might be that Artak Nazaryan had some mental problems the defendant answered that he did not notice anything like that.

The procedure of interrogation of the defendants will be continued, the next court session is scheduled for June 26.