Epress.am News from Armenia
The Convicts’ Hospital penitentiary in Yerevan has filed a civil suit against Sasna Tsrer (Daredevils of Sasun) armed group member Hovhannes Harutyunyan, seeking compensation for property damage, Harutyunyan’s lawyer Hayarpi Sargsyan told Epress.am on Wednesday.
“In December 2016, my client allegedly damaged the property of the Convicts’ Hospital. This, however, is an unjustified claim and has no factual evidence backing it up. What’s more, filing a civil claim is pointless, since there’s already a criminal case instituted into the same circumstances, and the Civil Code clearly states that the civil case should be terminated if there’s an ongoing criminal case,” the lawyer said. According to Sargsyan, penitentiary expert assessments have put the amount of damage at 54 975 drams (about US$ 114) and 1500 drams as state fees.
“Broken glass, a chair back, a cabinet door… Nevertheless, when in 2016 I filed a complaint with the European Court of Human Rights, the Special Investigative Service questioned the doctor of the Convicts’ Hospital, and it turned out that the Erebuni medical center had gratuitously provided Harutyunyan with a bed and a small cabinet. These items were not in the penitentiary’s inventory, and even if my client did damage these items, the Convicts’ Hospital is not entitled to compensation,” Sargsyan said, adding that “the authorities only want to intimidate my client by bringing up the incident after all these years.”