Epress.am News from Armenia
Arman Sahakyan, witness in the case on the fact of death of conscript Manuchar Manucharyan in the Armenian army in 2013, has changed the testimony given during the preliminary investigation: he, the witness said in a court hearing on June 9, had testified at the behest of investigators, Safesoldiers.am reported on Wednesday, June 10.
Recall, Manucharyan was drafted to the army in the summer of 2012 from the Vanadzor military commissariat. He died on July 31, 2013, as a result of three gunshot wounds. A criminal case was initiated under RA Criminal Code Article 110 Part 1 (inciting suicide); two people, fellow soldiers Arman Stepanyan and Babken Gaboyan, have been charged with driving Manuchar Manucharyan to commit suicide. However, the aggrieved party claims that it was a premeditated murder.
In his testimony given during the preliminary investigation, witness Sahakyan had said that prior to the incident he was not in the military unit, but fellow soldier Libik Mkrtchyan told him that a few days before the incident defendant Babken Gaboyan had repeatedly harassed, abused and humiliated the deceased.
In the hearing on June 9, explaining the reason for giving false testimony, the witness said that it was not the result of pressure, but rather his severe mental condition: he, Sahakyan said, returned to the military unit after a time off in connection with the death of his grandparents 4 hours after Manucharyan's death, so when testifying, he was dispirited, weak-willed, unable to resist the investigator's demand, and so he wrote whatever was dictated to him.
Another witness, conscript Artur Abrahamyan (pictured), also changed most of his preliminary testimony, explaining that he had testified under pressure and threats from investigators.
Abrahamyan stated that he was not actually acquainted with Manucharyan, meanwhile, in the preliminary investigation Abrahamyan had said that he had seen Manucharyan several times on the morning of the incident – talking to captain Muradyan, entering the restroom accompanied by defendant Gaboyan, and leaving it with his head hung low, morose.