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ARRESTED POLICEMAN 'SCAPEGOATED FOR CUSTODY DEATH'
Anush Martirosian
http://www.armenialiberty.org/content/article/2074990.html
Armenia -- Vahan Khalafian, a 24-year-old man who died in police
custody on 13 April 2010, photo undated.
An Armenian police officer prosecuted for allegedly ill-treating a
man who died in police custody in April has pleaded not guilty to the
accusation and feels that he was made a scapegoat by investigators,
his lawyer said on Thursday.
Major Ashot Harutiunian, the chief of criminal investigations at the
police department of Charentsavan, a small town about 40 kilometers
north of Yerevan, was arrested and charged in late April with using
force to extract a confession from Vahan Khalafian.
Khalafian, 24 was among several local residents detained on suspicion
of theft. He died several hours later in still unclear circumstances.
Armenia's Special Investigative Service (SIS), which has investigated
the suspicious death, says he committed suicide after enduring
torture at the hands of Harutiunian and three other officers also
facing prosecution.
Khalafian's relatives, backed by some human rights activists, believe,
however, that the young man was tortured to death and that the SIS
has failed to hold accountable all local police officials responsible
for his brutal treatment. The victim's uncle, Hmayak Khalafian,
on Thursday again pointed the finger at Samvel Tonoyan, the deputy
chief of the Charentsavan police.
Unlike his boss, Norik Heboyan, Tonoyan has not been sacked or
subjected to disciplinary action. According to some media reports,
Khalafian was found dead shortly after Tonoyan arrived at the
Charentsavan police station on April 13.
According to Harutiunian's lawyer, Seda Safarian, the arrested
policeman rejects the accusations leveled against him under an Armenian
Criminal Code article relating to abuse of power that results in
"severe consequences." Speaking to RFE/RL's Armenian service, Safarian
indicated that he considers himself a police scapegoat.
The lawyer insisted that both the Charentsavan police chief and his
deputy must have sanctioned all police actions on that day. "The
whole police department was involved in the operation," she said,
describing the SIS investigation as "incomplete and not objective."
From: A. Papazian
Anush Martirosian
http://www.armenialiberty.org/content/article/2074990.html
Armenia -- Vahan Khalafian, a 24-year-old man who died in police
custody on 13 April 2010, photo undated.
An Armenian police officer prosecuted for allegedly ill-treating a
man who died in police custody in April has pleaded not guilty to the
accusation and feels that he was made a scapegoat by investigators,
his lawyer said on Thursday.
Major Ashot Harutiunian, the chief of criminal investigations at the
police department of Charentsavan, a small town about 40 kilometers
north of Yerevan, was arrested and charged in late April with using
force to extract a confession from Vahan Khalafian.
Khalafian, 24 was among several local residents detained on suspicion
of theft. He died several hours later in still unclear circumstances.
Armenia's Special Investigative Service (SIS), which has investigated
the suspicious death, says he committed suicide after enduring
torture at the hands of Harutiunian and three other officers also
facing prosecution.
Khalafian's relatives, backed by some human rights activists, believe,
however, that the young man was tortured to death and that the SIS
has failed to hold accountable all local police officials responsible
for his brutal treatment. The victim's uncle, Hmayak Khalafian,
on Thursday again pointed the finger at Samvel Tonoyan, the deputy
chief of the Charentsavan police.
Unlike his boss, Norik Heboyan, Tonoyan has not been sacked or
subjected to disciplinary action. According to some media reports,
Khalafian was found dead shortly after Tonoyan arrived at the
Charentsavan police station on April 13.
According to Harutiunian's lawyer, Seda Safarian, the arrested
policeman rejects the accusations leveled against him under an Armenian
Criminal Code article relating to abuse of power that results in
"severe consequences." Speaking to RFE/RL's Armenian service, Safarian
indicated that he considers himself a police scapegoat.
The lawyer insisted that both the Charentsavan police chief and his
deputy must have sanctioned all police actions on that day. "The
whole police department was involved in the operation," she said,
describing the SIS investigation as "incomplete and not objective."
From: A. Papazian