Important circumstances on the case of Anzor Karapetyan, who died at the penitentiary, left out of the investigation
12:24, September 27, 2017 | News, Own news | Detention Facilities
The findings of the forensic psychological expert examination received 9 months after Anzor Karapetyan’s death at ‘Armavir’ penitentiary facilities on January 4, 2016, stated that his individual psychological features could not lead to his suicide.
Despite that, on the very day following receipt of the expert examination findings, on September 14, 2016 the investigating body suspended them without examining such findings. Later, in response to the aggrieved party’s relevant motion, they answered that the investigation of the case was resumed and the expert examination findings were investigated.
Because of getting no information on the course of the criminal proceedings for months, on January 13, 2017 A. Karapetyan’s representative A. Chatinyan, lawyer at HCA Vanadzor, applied on this issue to the investigating body and on April 1, 2017 got a response that examination of the motion did not identify any substantial circumstances and the criminal proceedings were suspended again.
Whereas on the case on the fight of December 31, 2015 with A. Karapetyan involved, detained and taken to ‘Armavir’ penitentiary, the investigating body ‘found out’ in a short term that the actions of the other fight participants constituted necessary defense from A. Karapetyan’s actions and based on that, discontinued the criminal prosecution against them by qualifying A. Karapetyan’s actions as attempted murder.
And the decision on suspending proceedings on A. Karapetyan’s suicide has no mention of the issues raised in the motion. There is no mention of the actions taken and the circumstances identified as a result that the investigating body does not consider significant.
The decision mentions questioning some convicts but does not specify what they have to do with the case, the more so considering the fact that on the day of his death A. Karapetyan was alone in the quarantine cell.
The examination did not consider as well the circumstance that victim’s successor B. Karapetyan faced threats we mentioned in our previous publications.
The investigating body also paid no attention to the contradictions in the witness testimonies; such testimonies did not make clear which of the convicts was the first to see A. Karapetyan hung. According to the investigating body, the video cameras installed at the facilities did not identify any significant circumstance as well.
Despite all this, on September 8, 2017 the General Jurisdiction Court of Armavir marz (region) rejected HCA Vanadzor lawyer Ani Chatinyan’s complaint against the decision on suspending the criminal proceedings and she appealed the court ruling to the Court of Appeals.