Kostanyan: There’s a Lack of Sound Reasoning in the Charges Associated with Me and Mheryan

Former Chief Prosecutor of Armenia Gevorg Kostanyan has made a statement in response to the recent circulation of his name in connection with allegations. In his statement, he said:

"I learned from the press that my name and that of my late friend Gevorg Mheryan are included in the decision to charge former police chief Alik Sargsyan, and attempts have been made to accuse us of some crimes. From the published materials, it becomes clear that Gevorg Mheryan and I are accused of giving some instructions and directives to the police chief, which, by the way, is completely denied by Alik Sargsyan himself, the alleged addressee of these fictitious instructions and directives. This alone is enough to note that the charges against me and Gevorg Mheryan lack not only sound reasoning but also any legal basis.

It is becoming evident that in an attempt to conceal the inability to find the real culprits behind the March 1th victims, there is an effort to involve as many sensational names as possible in the criminal case to create an illusion of effective action. I am convinced that even if the "new" law enforcement system of Armenia charges and detains all individuals who held positions between 2008-2018, the question of who is ultimately responsible for the ten victims of March 1 and hundreds of injured will not be forgotten.

In this regard, I believe that the textbooks of criminal law in our country have lost their value and are subject to change since contemporary practices of criminal justice administered by lawyers conflict even with textbook truths.

I also want to emphasize that I will use all opportunities provided by Armenian legislation and international agreements to defend my name and that of Gevorg Mheryan against these absurd accusations.

On the other hand, I want to remind our entire law enforcement system that those who, in the course of their activity, will commit or have already committed illegal actions will certainly bear personal criminal and moral responsibility for their actions in accordance with the letter of the law.

This is all I can say based on the information available in the press at this moment. I will speak more thoroughly about the acts being accused and about the elements of the crime later."