Armenia: Prosecutor's Office and human rights activists speak about tortures of witnesses in the murder case of Lori prosecutor

Agvan Ovsepyan, General Public Prosecutor of Armenia, has stated that as a result of operative-investigatory actions conducted under the murder case of Albert Kazaryan, Public Prosecutor of the Lori District, other crimes can be opened, namely, application of violence towards the witnesses figuring in the case.

Several days ago Mikael Danielyan, Chairman of the Helsinki Association, informed journalists that in the course of investigation in Vanadzor, workers of the law enforcement bodies had applied tortures to several dozens persons. The human rights activist reported that 17 damaged witnesses addressed the Association for help. He also declared that the Association was going to file a complaint to the State Office of Public Prosecutor in connection with violence and pressure against the witnesses in Kazaryan's case.

The "Iskakan Iravunk" (Genuine Law) newspaper reported in its No. 58 dated September 14-17 that according to the sources close to President's palace, President Robert Kocharyan had received a plenty of complaints that under many cases, including Albert Kazaryan's murder case, the police and the Prosecutor's Office are widely applying violent methods of investigation and inquiry.

We remind you that on August 25, Class II Justice Adviser Albert Garushevich Kazaryan, Prosecutor of the Lori District, was assassinated on his way home from work. The criminal case was initiated on attributes of point 2, part 2, Article 104 of the Criminal code of Armenia "murder of a person in relation with his or her official activities or execution of public duties."