A Letter of Complaint Submitted to RA Prosecutor General on Case of False Witnesses
18:11, January 30, 2015 | News, Own news | Right to Fair Trial | Police, Special Investigation Service
On August 2, 2014, Pnjik Teroyan, resident of Vanadzor, applied to the HCA Vanadzor to protect her rights. According to P. Teroyan, back on April 4, 2012, she had reported a crime to the RA Police. The Vanadzor city Taron Investigation Division of the RA Police Lori Marz (region) Investigation Department initiated a criminal case based on the report. P. Teroyan claimed that the investigator had committed numerous violations during the investigative actions; particularly, by involving police officers as witnesses in such actions.
As already mentioned, a crime report on the violations above was submitted to the RA Special Investigation Service (SIS), demanding to take the necessary measures to reveal the crime in question and hold liable the persons responsible for it.
On September 20, 2014, the Organization received the decree of the RA SIS on declining to initiate a criminal case.
Thereafter, on September 27, 2014, the HCA Vanadzor filed a letter of complaint to the RA Prosecutor General to annul the decree of the RA SIS and initiate criminal proceedings.
On October 23, 2014, the RA Prosecutor General responded that the Organization’s complaint was upheld, a criminal case was initiated and submitted for reinvestigation. Nevertheless, the complaint upheld by the Prosecutor General failed to form the basis for revealing the crime.
On December 26, 2014, A. Minasyan, RA SIS special investigator for high-profile cases, issued a decree not to instigate criminal prosecution and discontinue the criminal proceedings.
The HCA Vanadzor received the above decree on January 16, 2015, and on the same day Pnjik Teroyan started a hunger strike in front of the RA General Prosecutor’s Office demanding to conduct a proper investigation.
On January 22, 2015, the HCA Vanadzor filed another complaint to the RA Prosecutor General demanding to annul the decree of the RA Special Investigation Service not to instigate criminal prosecution and discontinue the criminal proceedings, and to forward the case for reinvestigation.
We do believe that this time the RA General Prosecutor’s Office will again uphold the Organization’s appeal, and the RA SIS will conduct a comprehensive, objective and complete investigation, based not only on the testimonies of police officers and investigators, but also on those of other persons involved in the investigative actions, as well as on revealing the objective circumstances of the case.