Letter from a Life Imprisoned Convict to the Prosecutor General of Armenia

Dear Prosecutor, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan always speaks about the changes in the judicial system. However, for some reason, when discussing this area, the focus is on judges, while investigators and prosecutors are forgotten. The first-instance and appellate courts denied my request for conditional early release. The Court of Cassation also refused to accept the case.

According to the "Armavir" prison, I can be presented again for early release on December 7, 2020. I appealed that decision, and recently, by the decision of the head of the general jurisdiction court of Armavir region, Hrachik Sargsyan, my appeal was granted. The court noted the violations of my rights and freedoms, obliging the administration of the "Armavir" prison to reconsider my conditional early release.

The prison administration has proceeded to present me again for early release. But lo and behold, the senior prosecutor of the Department for Supervision over the Legality of the Enforcement of Punishments and Coercive Measures of the Prosecutor General’s Office, Arayik Brutyun, has appealed this decision to the appellate court. He has tried to present in several newspapers that my rights have not been violated.

Mr. Brutyun, what is your interest? Why are you obstructing the fates of people? As far as I know, you appeal all decisions regarding life convicts if they are in our favor. Then we say we have independent courts and principled judges who are not dependent on prosecutors. Under these circumstances, it is quite challenging to work. I don’t know what decision the appellate court will make; I hope it will be as independent as Hrachik Sargsyan, but one thing is clear: those working in the prosecutor's office, with stereotypes and who do not accept the ways of the new Armenia, must leave.

Gentlemen, start the vetting from the biased and law-evading senior prosecutor of the Department for Supervision over the Legality of the Enforcement of Punishments and Coercive Measures, Arayik Brutyun, who is being recycled from the previous regime.

Stepan Grigoryan
Convicted to Life Imprisonment since 1997

The letter from a life convict has been published by hraparak.am.