Epress.am News from Armenia
The witnesses in the criminal case into the murder of Haykaz Barseghyan, a trainee at Vazgen Sargsyan Military Institute in Yerevan, are refusing to testify, claiming they did not see anything and were asleep at the time of the murder, Naira Zohrabyan, Head of the Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP) parliamentary faction, said at the RA National Assembly on Wednesday, May 6. According to Zohrabyan, the parents of the diseased soldier have approached her and expressed concern that Colonel Zarmik Markosyan, former Deputy Chief of the Institute's Armaments department, and one of the suspects' father, is putting pressure on the witnesses.
“There were other soldiers in that room besides the four perpetrators. However, these witnesses are afraid to testify, claiming they were asleep and saw nothing. The parents of the brutally murdered child believe that this man tried to influence witnesses. Accept that it's impossible to be so fast asleep so as not to notice how a young man is being tortured and killed in the same room,” the PAP leader said.
Responding to Zohrabyan's concerns, RA deputy minister of Defense Ara Nazaryan said that everyone was interested in the disclosure of the brutal murder. “Both, the military prosecutor and the investigative service have the same position on the issue: to approach the case with the utmost severity. This is not just a matter of public concern; it appertains to the RA Armed forces, too. I don't know what levers of influence [Zarmik Markosyan] has, but he should not have any leverage, not on authorities. The Minister [of Defense] has punished him severely; he is unlikely to find any loophole and obtain leverage. We will make sure that no one gets away through any loophole,” Nazaryan said.