Epress.am News from Armenia
16-year old defendant Hayk Aghmalyan (pictured) claims that he did not stab 16-year old Tigran Hayrapetyan, who died during a fight on April 9, 2014. During the November 14th hearing, the victim’s parents claimed that Aghmalyan had changed his testimony under his new lawyer’s persuasion. However, the defendant insists that he has changed his testimony not due to his lawyer, but after he saw a picture of Hayrapetyan. According to him, he participated in the fight and had stabbed someone he did not know, and at first he was unable to say if that person had died or not, however, after seeing Hayrapetyan’s photo, he realized that he had not stabbed the latter.
“A contradiction arose between my lawyer and me regarding this issue, and I stopped using his services. Only after being involved with my second lawyer did I testify and say that I had not stabbed Hayrapetyan,” said Hayk Aghmalyan during the November 14 court hearing.
During oral arguments, Aghmalyan’s mother, Narine Aghmalyan, also spoke. She said that the police violently took her son to the police station from his grandmother’s house; they did not allow a pedagogue, lawyer, or parent to be by him. The police, according to defendant’s mother, beat her son at the station.
“They hit his spine, after which he lost consciousness. They told him he had killed someone and that he’d better confess, if he cares about his mother and sister,” said Aghmalyan’s mother during the session.
The charges against Aghmalyan are based on a fight participant Martin Gevorgyan’s testimony. He said that Aghmalyan attacked Hayrapetyan’s chest, however, there is no wound of any sort on the victim’s chest. The defense is demanding that a suit be implemented against Gevorgyan for testifying falsely.