What Will the Judge Decide Regarding Violations of Law-enforcement Bodies?
00:00, January 16, 2011 | News | Right to be free from torture and inhuman or degrading treatment, Right to Fair Trial | Police“Zhamanak” reports that several of the accused, who had been charged with committing larceny, voiced about violations applied toward them by the police staff in Criminal Court of Appeal yesterday.
This fact stands for criminality and the court is currently in a dead-lock: either the judge will infringe the law and turn a blind eye to it or take a decision and solicit the law-enforcement bodies to prepare a case regarding the activities of law-breaking police officers.
The accused, their relatives and human rights defender Artur Sakunts claim that the police officers had extorted testimonies from them and put the blame on them.
While the judge takes a decision, it should be noted it is about Vardan Aghajanyan’s case that we talk about. V. Aghajanyan, a serviceman in HKR SA and being on a temporary mission for participating in the admission exams at Military institute of RA Ministry of Defense from June 30 to July 30 of 2008, is charged with voluntarily leaving the military unit in order to evade military service and didn’t return to his service.
Besides, the following thrifts have been ascribed to him and others accused. In November, 2008 (not exactly identified) Vardan and Robert Grogoryan, have dismantled and secretly stolen an oil pomp of up to 100,000 AMD value off an auto crane located at Haghtanak village in Tavoush region. Vardan along with Robert Grogoryan, Ishkhan Serobyan, Ashot and Garegin Bozozyans has dug and removed battering wall bricks from # 80 storage of “Sevan” auto spare trade fair and had stolen car spares of “GAZ” brand up to11,136,000 AMD value in February, 2009.
Then they have disassembled and stolen the oil pumps and the rubber pipe off an auto crane of “MAZ” brand that belonged to “Gndasar HPP” LLC.
This group is also suspected in the following thefts: stealing an oil pump, gearbox adapter and a drive shaft of up to 700,000 AMD value off “ZIL 133” brand auto crane parked opposite #35 house in Jivani street, Yerevan during April 2009; larceny of oil propels and batteries of up to 1,000,000 AMD value from “HAEK Shinararutyun” CJSC auto-crane; robbery from Ashot Khachaturyan’s auto crane.
And the law-enforcement bodies have ascribed the joined “activity” of Gevorg Alpiev and Vardan Aghajanyan to the stolen computers and printers from “E.P.G. Etchmiadzin Cannery” OJSC, while the joined “cooperation” of A. Bozoyan, G. Alpiev, G. Mirzoyan, and A. Harutyunyan is attributed to the theft of computers and other technologies from “AMV” LLT. Similar other thefts have also been included in the accusation. The court found the accusations well-grounded and resolved to recognize V. Aghajanyan guilty in larceny, desertion by confining him to a 7-year imprisonment; Ashot Bozoyan was pleaded guilty for costly thefts and sentenced him to a 5-year imprisonment; Gevor Apiev to 4-year, Robert Grigoryan to 5-year, Ishkhan Serobyan and Garegin Bozoyan to 4-year and Garik Mirzoyan to 2-year incarceration.
And Arsen Saroyan was sentenced to 2-year imprisonment, but the penalty was conditionally decided not to apply.
It is interesting that the current case was jurisdictional in the Shengavit Administrative district, but it had been heard at “Kentron-Nork- Marash” Court of Common Jurisdiction.
Artur Sakunts-head of Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly Vanadzor office is following the current case attracting the attention of the state authorities to the testimonies extorted by violations and threats and to the case made up based on them.
The accused of this case were subject to torture, in the Shengavit Police department, a cruel and degrading attitude was displayed against them. The relatives of the accused informed the human rights defender about it. Ishkhan Serobyan’s mother- Satenik noted that in order to extort testimonies against Garegin Bozoyan, they had beaten his son so severely in the administration that he wanted to throw himself out of the window. Moreover, G. Bozoyan was imprisoned for theft yet a year ago, he had admitted his quilt, but according to his wife, they want to file a new criminal case against his husband with the following scenario: as if he had given testimonies from the prison via phone.
Garegin’s wife – Anahit informed the human rights defender that she had been urged to give testimonies against her husband and they even had requested money not to bring Garegin to criminal liability, but the mother of 4 underage children responded that she had no food money even for her children after the only family breadwinner had been imprisoned, and if nothing changed she would have to send them to a children’s home.
P. S. Looking at the list of thefts, it may be inferred that the case was indeed made up. Firstly, in most of the cases there is no exact date mentioned. Secondly, the thieves, probably 2 different groups, were mainly interested in computer equipment and auto cranes, and the law-enforcement bodies attempted to block the “backs” of those groups by forcing the crimes on others. Thirdly, if in case of computers, many people might be interested, in case of auto cranes, only those dealing with big construction, for instance, construction companies, might need so many spare parts.
And who are those who carry out such constructions in this country and who do the law-enforcement bodies back up by applying such violations? This can be surmised by many people.