WHO KILLED AGHASI?
Suzan Simonyan
Lragir.am
10/01/2012
Aghasi Abrahamyan, 18, killed on August 26 in the military unit of
Yeghnikner, NKR, was the victim of the cruelest crime in the army
in 2011. There were 19 traces of violence on the body of the young
man, including hemorrhages, open wounds, bruises, injuries of kidney
and brain.
His mother’s scream “they made a salad out of my son” spread through
the media and social networks. People held up the photo of Aghasi’s
mutilated face in front of the prime minister’s office, demanded
clearing the army of murderers.
The military prosecutor, worried about the noise, left for the crime
scene. The ex-deputy minister of defense Vladimir Gasparyan hurried
to announce two days after the murder that it has been revealed. The
fairy tale about urinating in the wrong place which has become part
of prosecutorial lore wanders from one criminal case to another.
Recently we have learned that the serviceman Vahe Harutiunyan who
had allegedly punished Aghasi for urinating under the tree disclaimed
his testimony and refuted the story about urinating in the wrong place.
Certainly, his new position is not final. We have learned that the
investigator is still “working” with the detainee, and he may change
his position again.
So far the second main accused to the case, the head of the medical
service Vardges Poghosyan who was officially reported to have beaten
the soldier who was taken to the medical point with serious injuries
resulting from violence. The two medical assistants of the same
medical point are charged with “light” offenses, namely for a wrong
medical conclusion, informing the head of the medical service about
Aghasi’s state with delay, reporting that he was drunk and simulating.
“The case was in the night of August 26. The head of the medical
service was not informed until 3 o’clock pm. The medical assistants
thought that my boy would be OK and there would be no need to send
him to hospital. They thought if he was sent to hospital, there would
be a lot of fuss about it. They did not understand that my boy’s
life was in danger. The boy was wobbly, in coma. They said he was
drunk,” Gegham Abrahamyan. Aghasi’s father told us. On these days,
he is unable to telephone the investigator Igityan in NKR and learn
about the process of the case.
We also tried to contact the investigator to check our information and
learn about the proceedings on this case. However, he is chronically
and constantly unreachable. Gegham Abrahamyan assures that the months
of the investigation did not add anything to the information released
on the first days of the investigation.
He knew from the beginning that Vahe Harutiunyan who told and showed
how he fought with Aghasi and hit him 5 times and the doctor Poghosyan
could not cause about two dozens of wounds, hemorrhages and other
injuries on the boy’s body. He is sure that others were involved in
the incident who are in the shade of the investigation.
He learned from Investigator Igityan that on the day of the incident
there must have been two officers in charge of duty and the battalion
at the emplacements.
“I inquired about those officers from the investigator. He said their
houses are about 100 meters from the barracks and they were at home
at that time. I am sure that these two officers were involved in the
murder of my son, and I will demand their presence at the trial,”
says the father of the killed soldier.
He will demand to transfer the trial to Yerevan because he has no
advocate, and in this way he hopes to ensure public control over
the trial.
Hence, during the past 5 months the investigation did not move. The
same people are accused, the story about urination has been doubted
and an effort is made to save the commanders of the battalion from
responsibility. By the way, Grisha Yegoryan, another serviceman from
Aghasi Abrahamyan’s military unit, was taken to the military police
of Stepanakert immediately after the murder, and he is still there.
We informed about this in an article on September 20 entitled “Aghasi’s
Friend Detained for 24 Days.”
Echoing our publication, the investigative service of the Ministry of
Defense stated a week later that as of September 22 Grisha Yegoryan was
at the military unit and applied to the investigation body to change
his place of service and defend him, and he will soon be transferred
to another military unit. In fact, the investigative service is busy
with spreading false information.
“Grisha is still at the police. He was expected to move on December
28 but now they have said to transfer him to Armenia on January 13 to
15,” his father told us. Norair Yegoryan says a major told him he is
kept there for the sake of his security, until the trial. My elder son
went there with my father to visit him, and talked to him, he is fine.
Norair Yegoryan says his son and Aghasi Abrahamyan were close
friends. However, he did not see how Aghasi died because he was not
near him at that time. He cannot understand why his son is enclosed
for so long. Grisha is not a witness. For who is he so dangerous? Or
maybe he witnessed something? We expect clarifications from the
head of the investigative service of the Ministry of Defense and the
military prosecutor.