Prisoner Claims He Was Beaten by Jail Officers After Complaining Against ‘False Charges’

Hayk Galstyan, who is serving a sentence in a Yerevan jail for aggravated assault and theft, wrote appeal letters back in August 17 to the Armenian Government and President Serzh Sargsyan, claiming that the charges of assault against him were framed. Galstyan admits to stealing a car; however, he denies assaulting anyone and claims the relevant charges were added to the indictment one hour before his trial. 

Speaking to Epress.am on Wednesday, the prisoner alleged that his letters have mostly likely not reached the addressees. Moreover, after he handed the appeals to the management of the Nubarashen penitentiary, Galstyan stated, the prison staff started pressuring and harassing him in an attempt to make him withdraw the appeals. 

“The management sent 'jail watchers' to me. They beat me and told me to take back the appeals. I said I wouldn't do it. I told them I would not accept the false charges, even if my life depended on it. I was then visited by the deputy head of the prison and a member of the operations department, who also tried to convince me,”  Galstyan said.

The prisoner has filed a report with the Armenian Special Investigative Service (SIS) in connection with the incident, and the law enforcement agency has opened criminal proceedings regarding the alleged abuse of power by Nubarashen officials.

According to SIS investigator G. Begoyan, the prisoner said that after refusing to comply with the demands of the deputy prison chief and the operations department member, he committed an act of self-harm by injecting saliva into his left hand. A few days later, the same officials reiterated their demands and receiving another refusal, they prohibited the prisoner from seeing his mother. As a sign of protest, Galstyan once again injected saliva into his hand.