The Prosecutor General's Office Provides Extensive Clarification on the Appointment of Rafik Mashadyan's Son

The head of the public relations department of the Republic of Armenia's Prosecutor General's Office, Arevik Khachatryan, has again addressed the appointment of Rafik Mashadyan's 23-year-old son, Harutyun Mashadyan, as Deputy Head of the Investigative Committee.

"Given that a number of media outlets and social media users, both informed and uninformed, have inaccurately represented and exploited for manipulation the information regarding Harutyun Mashadyan’s employment within the prosecutor's office, we find it necessary to provide additional clarifications as follows: Harutyun Mashadyan has undergone all procedures established by law to become a prosecutor. Harutyun Mashadyan was born in 1995.

In 2010, he graduated from Secondary School No. 35 and then enrolled in the Faculty of Law at Yerevan State University. He was drafted into the Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia on July 2, 2013, and discharged in 2015. He then continued his studies and graduated from YSU in 2016, obtaining a bachelor's degree.

In 2017, he was included in the list of candidates for prosecutors in the Republic of Armenia by established order. In October 2017, he graduated from the Academy of Justice. On March 7, 2018, he was appointed as the military prosecutor of the Lori garrison military prosecutor’s office.

On February 4, 2019, he was transferred to the position of the military prosecutor of the Yerevan garrison.

Regarding the age of Harutyun Mashadyan in relation to his employment, it should be noted that according to Article 32 of the Law of the Republic of Armenia, which came into force in May 2007 and was repealed in April 2018, a citizen residing permanently in the Republic of Armenia could be appointed as a prosecutor if:

1. They have obtained a bachelor's or equivalent higher legal education qualification in the Republic of Armenia or a similar degree in a foreign state, the recognition and equivalence of which has been established by the law of the Republic of Armenia.
2. They are proficient in literary Armenian.

This means that there was no age limit.

As for the legal provision regarding becoming a prosecutor after reaching the age of 25, this was established by Article 33 of the new law that came into force on April 9, 2018, meaning it cannot be applied retroactively to previously established relations in a way that worsens the situation for those involved; the law cannot have retroactive effect," Khachatryan wrote.