Interview with Fugitive Vahagn Harutyunyan

Former head of the investigative group on the March 1 case, currently a fugitive, Vahagn Harutyunyan has been implicated by Aram Bareghamyan, who was convicted in connection with the same case. According to the case materials, Harutyunyan allegedly exerted violence against Bareghamyan to ascertain his involvement in the March 1 events. This testimony underlies one of two new charges against Harutyunyan.

In a phone interview with NEWS.am, Harutyunyan discussed the new charges attributed to him, the court's decision to detain him for the second time just before the New Year, the unraveling of the March 1 case, his return to Armenia, and other matters.

Below is an excerpt from the interview:

“Is it possible that your involvement as a defendant with the two new episodes is a consequence of your recent harsh evaluations of the NSS Chief Sasun Khachatryan?”

“The fact that the charges are personalized is not solely due to Sasun Khachatryan. He is not the only one making decisions; many things are dictated to him, and these decisions are given to him in writing. My indignation stems from the fact that Sasun Khachatryan is a puppet who, without thinking, takes steps for which I don't know how they will be held accountable tomorrow.”

“During this time, have you been offered a promise of testimony in return for halting your prosecution?”

“Such offers have been made both before and after I was charged. During this time, I received another proposal to give testimonies regarding their desired outcomes or hypotheses to avoid further prosecution. However, my responses have been unequivocal and very firm.”

“What is the purpose of all this?”

“Adding more baseless accusations to an already unfounded charge shows that the NSS, under the leadership of Mr. Super Sasun, is prepared to go to any lengths and engage in any scale of wrongdoing.”

“Can it be said that the March 1 case is fully revealed today?”

“What does it mean to reveal or what do we want to reveal? A substantial investigation was conducted into this case in the past. The occurrence of mass disturbances cannot be disputed, even if 700 more like Sasun come; there are obvious facts that cannot be overlooked even at the largest desire—burned cars, injured people, looted stores, etc. There are videos, numerous other pieces of evidence, and no matter how much you want to be 'Super Sasun' or desire to work excellently, you cannot say anything. For our society, the main revelation of March 1 is associated with uncovering the circumstances of the murders of 10 individuals.”