If the Police Officials did not Apply Force, then Sakunts is from Mars

On July 13, 2011, the Ijevan office of Tavoush Regional Court of First Instance, presided over by Raffik Melkonyan, continued the trial submitted by “Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly-Vanadzor” NGO.

HCAV claims to abrogate the resolution made by the RA Police Dilijan Department interrogator, S. Saghatelyan, over his rejection to file a criminal case and send the case to preliminary investigation.

This incident concerns the resolution, by which the interrogator refused to file a criminal case against the Spitak Department police officials, who, according the plaintiff party, exerted violence against Gyumri residents, Vladimir Tonoyan and Armen Melkonyan, who were arrested on September 29, 2009 over a robbery case. Tonoyan and Melkonyan notified Artur Sakunts, head of Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly-Vanadzor and Mikael Aramyan, member of the public monitoring group at the detention facilities about the violations in the “Vanadzor” penitentiary. The forensic medical examination revealed a hemorrhage to the left shoulder and left upper thigh, along with scratches on the right leg, which were caused by a blunt object.
Artur Sakunts reported the crime committed by the police officials, but interrogator Karapetyan from the Vanadzor Investigation Department reached a conclusion to reject the filing of a criminal case, which had been appealed in Lori Region Court of First Instance by human rights activist, Artur Sakunts. The claim was satisfied, but the prosecutor’s office again appealed the verdict. The case has been appealed several times in succession but ended up in the Court of Cassation, where a new preliminary investigation is being prepared. The case was sent to the Dilijan Investigation Department, but interrogator S. Saghatelyan again made a decision not to file a criminal case. HCAV is appealing the resolution. Court trials appointed for July 7th and 9th of 2011 did not take place. The reason for the July 7th trial failure was because interrogator S. Saghatelyan had “confused” the dates thinking the trial was to be held on July 8th. The trial on July 9th was not held, because the prosecutor of the case did not attend the trial. After the 3rd attempt, Artur Sakunts, head of Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly-Vanadzor, stated that senior interrogator S. Saghatelyan had not consulted Artur Shahverdyan, Chief of Spitak Department of the RA Police, although the incident had occurred in his office. The interrogator did not review the reasons for providing medical assistance to V. Tonoyan and A. Melkonyan at the “Vanadzor” Penitentiary on midnight, September 29, 2009. During the preparation of documents, S. Saghatelyan did not take into account the documents of the same case prepared by senior interrogator, E. Karapetyan, from the Vanadzor Investigation Department in 2009 and did not compare the previous explanations provided by the suspects with the new ones, which contained serious discrepancies. Later V. Tonoyan and A. Melkonyan neither confirmed, not denied the fact of violence exerted against them in the Spitak Department. Interrogator S. Saghatelyan stated in court that Tonoyan was injured during a robbery in Vanadzor, which is confirmed by Tonoyan himself, plus eyewitness Shaliko Khachatryan, Armen Melkonyan,  and several of the Spitak Police Department officials. Interrogator S. Saghatelyan was surprised that Artur Sakunts had not submitted his objections to the Dilijan Investigation Department of the RA Police and stated that the testimonies extorted from V. Tonoyan and A. Melkonyan could not be held as reliable as the ones he had extorted from detainee Tonoyan. Artur Sakunts, stated in court, that instead of verifying the validity of statements made by V. Tonoyan and A. Melkonyan and the claims of Spitak Police Department officials as well as the circumstances mentioned in the claims, S. Saghatelyan took them as absolute truth. “If I announce that I come from Mars, do you take it as absolute truth or try to verify the authenticity and conduct a thorough investigation?” posed Artur Sakunts. Had the jury been part of the Armenian Judicial system, it would undeniably admit the authenticity of the facts presented by Artur Sakunts.

Judge Raffik Melkonyan declared he was leaving for the advisory room and would not be out until 11:45 am on July 14. “One wonders what the Judge will be doing alone in the advisory room for so long.” The verdict will be publicized on July 14th.

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