Epress.am News from Armenia
The appeals court Wednesday ruled to throw out the appeals in the case of Vahan Khalafyan who died under suspicious circumstances on Apr. 13, 2010, while detained at the Charentsavan police division.
Recall, as previously reported, Khalafyan died in hospital hours after being detained at the police precinct in Charentsavan on charges of theft. The authorities claimed that he had stabbed himself after being ill-treated by police officers but his family disputed the suicide account. In November, two police officers were sentenced for abuse of official authority, which allegedly caused the suicide; one to eight years’ imprisonment and his subordinate to two years’ suspended sentence. Two other officers, Garik Davtyan and Gagik Ghazaryan, were absolved.
According to RFE/RL’s Armenian service, the court also ruled Wednesday to apply the general amnesty granted on occasion of the 20th anniversary of Armenia’s independence on former head of the investigations department at Charentsavan police division Ashot Harutyunyan, by reducing his sentence by one third. The court also applied the amnesty to Charentsavan police officer Mores Hayrapetyan, releasing him from imprisonment.
All parties in this case raised complaints. The plaintiffs were displeased because the lower court’s ruling absolved the two officers, while Ashot Harutyunyan was displeased for being sentenced to 8 years’ imprisonment and Khalafyan’s parents, insisting that their son was killed at the police department, demanded all those officers who had a connection with the incident should be appropriately punished. In January, Khalafyan’s mother, Zoya Harutyunyan, told RFE/RL’s Armenian service that the real person guilty in her son’s death was deputy police chief Samvel Tonoyan.
Courtesy photo, RFE/RL’s Armenian service.