Epress.am News from Armenia
The forensic examination of the body of Senior Lieutenant Meruzhan Harutyunyan, which was found in a reservoir on May 11, did not introduce significant changes to the preliminary information, since, according to the initial forensic inspection, the death was due to drowning: different parts of the body had all the characteristic traces. This news was conveyed to Epress.am by military expert Ruben Martirosyan, who was present at the autopsy today. Martirosyan said there were no witnesses who saw how he ended up in the river, but there are people who saw the corpse adrift.
Martirosyan said no obvious fractures were found in the limbs, in the body or head: "Found was only a section that resembles a blood clot in the frontal part of the head, near the bridge of the nose."
"Currently, the medial examiner cannot say whether this is a consequence of postmortem changes or a blow. We will get the response in about a month. Currently, the father of the victim has not ben recognized as an injured party," he said.
Earlier, Senior Officer of the RA Ministry of Defense Investigation Department Mery Sargsyan said that a criminal case under charges of the "violation of the rules of combat duty or military service" (RA Criminal Code Article 365 Section 1) was launched.
Harutyunyan's body was found on May 11 in a neutral border zone in Tandzik reservoir. Rescue work began on May 1, when the RA Ministry of Emergency Situations received a call that Harutyunyan around 6 pm went in the direction of Arpa River and, according to the preliminary report, fell into the river.
Rescue workers and soldiers began the search along Arpa River, from the possible site of the fall to the border with Nakhichevan (about 600 meters).