Suicide without signs: Mother of diseased serviceman, who died in Shushi jail, assures, “We’ll struggle until the end”
07:03, May 30, 2013 | News | Right to Life, Rights of Soldiers/Recruits | Armed Forces, Detention Facilities, Hayk Movsisyan
Heghine Petrosyan, mother of diseased serviceman Hayk Movsisyan, who died in Shushi jail in 2012, has grounded doubts that her son didn’t commit a suicide by hanging but he was killed.
“My son was killed, there can be no second version. I have myself examined my son after death and I have seen that his big toe was fractured and his corpse was all covered with bruises. Why were his head and neck undamaged, while, all the other parts of his body were in bruises? How come my son hanged himself but his face didn’t blacken. A hanged person has his tongue out and the face blackened. While we kept my son for 5 days and his flesh never changed the colour. He had been beaten and I have seen it myself”, told Heghine Movsisyan to “Medialab”.
Hrazdan resident Heghine Petrosyan, who periodically leaves for job to Russia, took her son to Moscow before he reached the age of 18 based on a written undertaking given at the Military Commissariat, whereby, she committed herself to bringing her son back for military service upon turning 18.
Writing her son’s profile description, she revealed the truth by stating that Hayk Movsisyan had nervousness, was aggressive and even had attacked her with a knife.
“On May 1, 2011 we returned to Armenia and on May 30 he was summoned to the Military Commissariat for medical examination. That day he was called to be taken to the Army but he wasn’t, it was cancelled”, shares his mother. Heghine tells that her son was referred to “Armenia” medical center for examination from the Military Commissariat, where he was diagnosed as having hearth-related issues. In spite of that in June of 2011 Hayk Movsisyan was declared as fit for combat service by the State Conscription Committee.
During service in one of the Artsakh-based military units he exposed nervous behavior, he even once cut his veins and was placed at hospital. Two months after the military service, on August 2, he was demobilized from the army on the grounds of serious neurological diseases and was declared as unfit for military services.
Human rights protagonist Artur Sakunts, Chairman of Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly Vanadzor considers it absurd that 2 months after being conscripted to the army the young man was recognized unfit for military service.
“Either Hayk Movsisyan acquired the disease during those two months, or inadequate medical examination was conducted”, tells Artur Sakunts to “Medialab”.
Already on August 3 Hayk Movsisyan was charged with evading military service and release on his own recognizance was chosen as a measure of restraint in relation to him.
On October 16 Hayk Movsisyan received a military book, however, after October 16 criminal prosecution process was launched against him. Hayk’s mother reveals that investigator A. Adamyan over case told her, “You’ll give about $200 for a square meal not to enter your son’s case into the court.”
According to Sakunts, it gives grounds to think that illegal and ungrounded criminal prosecution has been carried out.
On November 20 of 2012, Syunik Court of Common Jurisdiction recognized Hayk Movsisyan guilty for avoiding military service and was sentenced to a 3-year imprisonment. Before the court’s verdict entered into legal force, Hayk Movsisyan was located in Shushi jail, while, after the verdict entered into legal force, he was meant to be displaced to Armenia to serve his sentence there, but on November 26 he died in jail.
“His mother went about asking what happened to his child and in response Military prosecutor Gevorg Kostanyan replied his son had allegedly hanged himself. They never explained to her that a victim’s successor should be involved. They should have undertaken all possible measures, should have interrogated the jail staff, the site examination protocol should have been introduced to his parent, assign a medical-forensic examination, and introduce that conclusion to the victim’s successor, but they never did it”, states the human rights defender.
He neither believes the version on Hayk Movsisyan’s suicide. The human rights activist claims he was beaten to death.
“The nature of injuries on Hayk Movsisyan’s corpse was such that it hints not on hanging but exerting violations”, notes Sakunts.
On April 13 of 2013, through the petition submitted by Prosecutor General Aghvan Hovsepyan, the Court of Appeals recognized Hayk Movsisyan as innocent after his death. On May 16 a claim was submitted to the Cassation Court by the Prosecutor General’s office against the ruling of the Court of Appeals. It is rather surprising that Deputy attorney general Aram Tamazyan acted as a temporary substitute within the frames of the claim submitted to the Cassation Court.
“The decision of the Court of Appeals is evidently linked to the improper discharge of labor duties by the military prosecutor. While, the Cassation claim implies that the military prosecutor managed to leave Aghvan Hovsepyan behind the margins due to the support of the President’s staff and under Aram Tamazyan’s representation appealed the decision made by the Court of Appeals”, points out Sakunts.
The decisions of neither First Instance, nor the Court of Appeals over Hayk Movsisyan’s case, are included in the judicial information recourse at www.datalex.am website, which, according to the human rights defender, also gives grounds to assume that the case is being concealed.
“Where was Aghvan Hovsepyan on May 16, why was Aram Tamazyan acting on his part? Is it that we have two Prosecutors General or maybe 3?”, questions Sakunts.
A criminal case regarding Hayk Movsisyan’s death has been lodged at the SIS, about which, according to Sakunts, they don’t keep the public and his relatives posted.
“It is yet unknown if that case is against the officials involved with Hayk’s Movsisyan’s murder, the prosecutor, the judge or Aram Tamazyan? There is no response to this question, wasn’t sacking of SIS former Chief Mirzoyan conditioned by that case?” tells Artur Sakunts to “Medialab”.
By the way, pursuant to the information disseminated via press, the dismissal of SIS former Chef Andranik Mirzoyan is linked to this case, which, was lately also denied by Minister of Defence Seyran Ohanyan in an interview with journalists.
At this stage Hayk Movsisyan’s family and human rights defender Artur Sakunts struggle to have Hayk’s mother recognized as the victim’s successor, while Sakunts as the representative of the victim’s successor. They also demand that all of the perpetrators related to Hayk Movsisyan’s death should be punished. & days after her sons’ death Heghine Petrosyan wrote a letter to Serzh Sargsyan and a response was received from the presidential residence saying she should appear before the Military Prosecutor’s Office.
“I go to the Military Prosecutor’s Office, they insult me rudely and see me off. Military Prosecutor Gevog Kostanyan told me that my son could have hanged himself. They want to conceal the case but they can’t, they cannot prove it to me”, notes Heghine Petrosyan adding she is going to struggle up until the end.
50 death cases of servicemen were registered last year in the RA Armed forces.
Sakunts believes that the reason for death cases recorded in the army is that the officials think not of the Army but of the solution of their personal issues.
“Unfortunately, the crimes will continue in the army because the responsibility towards a human equals to zero. Although Hayk Movsisyan was murdered after demobilization, however, he is the indicator of our reality”, states Sakunts.