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20 year-old Serob Mkhitaryan, cell-mate of ANC activist political prisoner Tigran Arakelyan, who has recently made a suicide attempt, reveals details in a letter addressed to human rights protagonist Artur Sakunts, Chairman of Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly- Vanadzor, over the unlawful acts applied against him and over the triggers that forced him to put an end to his life.

“In January of 2011, one of my acquaintances named Andranik Gabrielyan rang  me up and told he wanted to meet. I did not turn down his request. When we met, he told me he had a number of problems in the city of Masis (it was his residence) and asked me to set him up somewhere in Yerevan. I took him to my friend Arevik’s place to spend the night there. Several days later, on January 21, he phoned me and told he had got acquainted with some girl via “Odnoklassniki” website, who resided in Goris and offered me to accompany him to Goris. And since I did not have much to do, I decided to join him. The next day, we got into a cab to Goris and set off. When we reached Goris, I told him that my mother’s uncle lived in Goris and owned a restaurant; we could go and have dinner there. He refused by saying it would be embarrassing. It was around 5 when we reached there and he met the girl. I waited for him at the bus stop for almost an hour. He came back, and we were all set to return to Yerevan.

The cabs to the capital refused to set out because of the dense fog and the late hour. And I suggested Ando going to Lachin to my grandmother Jemma’s place. We approached the cab driver and inquired for how much money he would take us to Lachin. The driver would take us there for 5000 AMD but we had only 2000 AMD. In a nutshell, we persuaded the driver to keep Ando’s mobile on condition that we paid him back the remaining 3000 AMD upon our return after the phone. When we reached Lachin, I could not locate my grandmother’s house as I hadn’t been there for ages. We asked around and we were shown the way. A person by name Ashot escorted us to my grandma’s house. On the way, before we reached the place, there was another house where a person by name Norik was residing. Ando inquired from Ashot, how that man wasn’t afraid to live so far away.

Later we found out that my grandmother wasn’t at home, I called and she told me she didn’t live there any longer because the area was very perilous. I asked her for permission to open the door and spend the night there and she agreed. However, our guide Ashot told staying there was extremely dangerous and suggested our staying at his place. We agreed and were received with warm hospitality. The following day, early in the morning, Ashot’s younger brother Vitali accompanied us to the bus station. When Vitali left us, Ando told me, “Brother, let’s go and stay at your grandmother’s house. I’ll meet that girl once again and later we’ll return to Yerevan”.  I agreed: because the lock of the door was very old and we could easily open it and get in. There was no food in my grandmother’s place and Ando told, “Let’s go and stay in Norik’s place, we’ll have food and he might also have cigarettes.” I refused and told him that once I and my uncle Romik went to that man’s house. We owed him money and went there to return the debt and added that I didn’t want to go there again. Ando inquired what money that was, why my uncle gave him the money, when we returned and etc. A few minutes later Ando told me he was going out to see who had cigarettes…. He was missing over 40 minutes. I went out to find him. I was passing by Norik’s house when I saw Ando talking to some woman. When I asked him why had been missing so long, he replied he had lost the way back home.

I told him to go up to my grandmother’s place, but he refused by saying his father had called and told to return home urgently. And we continued our way to set out to Yerevan.  Ando offered to travel by taxi and I told him we did not have money. He told me “No brother, I have 4500 AMD but I did not voice about it thinking I would spend money when I went somewhere with that girl, that is why I wasn’t offering it earlier.”  We reached Goris, Ando paid the money and also the 3000 AMD for the phone. On the way, he gave me 10.000 AMD and told me to go to the restaurant owned by my mother’s uncle and have something there to eat. And all that began to seem strange to me, nevertheless, we later returned to Yerevan.

On January 26 my parents told me that I had been called to Erebuni police department. I went there with my mother and father. I was illegally kept there until they came from Kashatagh district of NK on the same day and moved me there. It was then that I was told I was suspected in the robbery of Lachin resident Norik Manucharyan’s house. I was told even if I wasn’t the perpetrator of the robbery, I would have to confess, otherwise they would rape me by a rubber truncheon. They put on handcuffs and I stayed there confined to the chair all night long with those handcuffs on. In the morning I was taken to the Chief of the Police, it was someone by surname Khachatryan. The same thing happened there: I was told I had to confess to the robbery.  I refused and they started beating me, they were showing me the rubber truncheon and were threatening to rape in case I did not confess. But I somehow did not give in and did not admit to something I had not done. I was later taken to interrogator Igor Alaverdyan, who, by the way, is a friend of Andranik’s father. He also forced me into admitting to the robbery.  On January 31 a sanction on arrest was applied against me and I was taken to Shushi prison. I should also note that the interrogator was involved as my Defense Attorney but I refused to have one. However, under the name of my Defense Attorney, he was signing some documents for me. I was telling him I didn’t need him, but he kept on saying that his enrollment was mandatory, I wished it or not. Marat Shaboyan, Chief of the prison department on operative cases, Mr. Aseyan, Chief of the prison and Ghulyan, Deputy Chief of the division did not leave me alone, they would come, take me out of cell and begin kicking me. I was being kept in an extremely cold room. This situation lasted over 4 months. Aboyan would sit on my laps firmly holding the chair and Aseyan would hit me, he also wanted to force the rubber truncheon into my mouth. It was impossible to constantly endure this kind of tortures for long months in succession; I could not stand it any longer…

They brought a copybook with a number of robbery cases. I was told they would take me to Yerevan on condition I confessed to the aforementioned crimes. I told Ghulyan I would agree to admit to the robbery only if they took me out of that cold room and move to a normal cell. A couple of days later Shaboyan came and told me to get ready as we were setting out to “Nubarashen” Penitentiary in Yerevan, where I am currently. An interrogator by name Artak Iskandaryan visited me and told I would have to give the final testimonies, but I refused confirm and revealed that I had told a lie in order to be moved to Armenia. I was even ready to confess to a murder if only they moved me to Yerevan. The interrogator threatened to send me back to Shushi prison. I kicked off a hunger strike. I was promised they would review the case, but interrogator Iskandaryan appeared and notified the case had been taken into court proceedings…So it became meaningless for me to continue living and to serve a punishment for something I haven’t committed.  That is why I decided to commit a suicide…”

Human right activist Artur Sakunts unveiled in an interview with 1in.am that they have enrolled lawyer Mushegh Shushanyan in this case. However, as a result of the latter’s illness, the court trial will be held on February 1.

www.1in.am