Footage from Combat Position Cameras Seized, Investigative Committee Provides Details

The Investigative Committee of Armenia has released details regarding the criminal case opened after the fatal shooting of conscript soldier Arthur Ajami and the wounding of conscript soldier David Melikbekyan.

“On December 2, 2019, at approximately 06:50, in the combat position of Military Unit N, conscript soldier Arthur Ishkhan Ajami suffered a fatal gunshot wound, while conscript soldier David Harutyun Melikbekyan sustained gunshot wounds. A criminal case has been initiated under part 2, clause 1 of article 34-104 of the RA Criminal Code ('attempted murder of two or more persons') in the third garrison investigation department, and an investigation is ongoing.

A series of urgent and necessary investigative actions have been carried out, including site inspections, external examinations of the body, forensic examinations regarding the deceased and David Melikbekyan, and several soldiers have been interrogated as witnesses. Arthur Ajami's grandfather, Khatif Ajami, has been recognized as the legal successor of the victim and has been interrogated. Lawyers Hayarpi Sargsyan and Khachatur Stepanyan have been recognized as representatives of the victim's successor and have participated in the forensic examination of the body. Footage from combat position cameras has been seized, and requests have been filed in court regarding the decryption of Arthur Ajami's phone calls and inspection of his mobile phone, while a forensic expertise for ballistics has been scheduled. The investigation into the criminal case is ongoing.”

It is to be noted that today, relatives of soldier Arthur Ajami held a protest in front of the National Assembly, expressing outrage over media reports suggesting that Ajami had committed suicide. They ended the protest after a meeting with Andranik Kocharian, the chairman of the National Assembly's Defense and Security Committee.