GULIAN FAMILY ACCUSE INVESTIGATORS OF BIAS
By Ruzanna Stepanian
Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
Aug 9 2007
The family of a man who died in police custody accuse investigators
of conducting the case in a biased and one-sided manner and claim
their rights have been repeatedly violated.
Levon Gulian’s father Ashot Gulian, wife Jemma Gulian and their lawyer
Mikael Danielian of the Armenian Helsinki Association presented
these concerns in letters addressed to Prosecutor General Aghvan
Hovsepian, Ombudsman Armen Harutiunian and National Assembly Human
Rights Committee Chairwoman Arevik Petrosian on Thursday.
Levon Gulian, a 31-year-old man who was questioned in connection
with a murder committed near his Yerevan restaurant, was found dead
in the courtyard of a police building on May 12. The circumstances
of the case remain uncertain despite the ongoing investigation.
The police insist that he fell to his death while attempting to escape
from the second-floor interrogation room. His relatives believe,
however, that he was tortured to death before being thrown out of
the window.
The victim’s family say despite their numerous requests the
investigation body in particular declined to provide them with the
copies of the forensic tests conducted in the case.
"This manner of work contradicts a number of Council of Europe
documents that the Republic of Armenia is a signatory of," the
authors of the letter underscore, specifically invoking the Council
of Europe’s resolution on assistance to crime victims under which
states must ensure that the victims can have access to information
concerning their case.
"In other words, the Prosecutor’s Office acted illegally by refusing to
provide the copies of the expert findings," the Gulian family charge.
The family and their legal aide also mention mistreatment of
two witnesses in the case, Hayk Melkumian and Marine Grigorian,
claiming their illegal imprisonment, beating and humiliation by
police interrogators. In the letter they say that no one has been
held responsible for those violations yet.
"Despite our petitions for a criminal case to be instituted in
connection with these circumstances, nothing has been done to date,"
they say, arguing that this style of work is against the the United
Nations Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or
Degrading Treatment or Punishment and the European Convention on
Human Rights.
Mikael Danielian says all this shows that the investigation is doing
everything to close this case.
"We are sending our letter to the Prosecutor’s Office, because
it declared that it would be a transparent investigation, those
responsible would be found and punished," Danielian said. "And we
are sending the letter to human rights activists because ex-officio
they must follow the human rights situation in Armenia and make the
authorities respect their commitments in human rights. If they fail
to do this, let them quit their jobs."
The Prosecutor’s Office informed RFE/RL that they haven’t received
the letter yet.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
