Investigation Completed in Case of Dog Shooting by Director of Dilijan National Park

The investigation into the case of cruel treatment against an animal has been completed by the Dilijan investigative department of the Tavush regional investigative committee of Armenia.

Earlier, it was reported that on December 1, 2019, around 14:50, a resident of Yerevan alerted authorities about a dog found with a gunshot wound to the head in the yard of the "Getap" restaurant complex.

As a result of investigative actions carried out during the pre-trial proceedings, a number of circumstances surrounding the incident were clarified. Specifically, it was revealed that on December 1, 2019, around 13:00, an employee of the "Getap" restaurant complex approached the director of the "Dilijan" national park and informed him that one of the dogs in the restaurant's territory had become aggressive and attacked her, but she defended herself and did not allow the dog to bite her.

Instead of notifying the relevant authorities and taking action, the director deliberately exhibited cruel treatment towards the animal by shooting the dog in the head with a TOZ-16 model hunting firearm in the restaurant complex yard around 13:15 on the same day, resulting in the animal's death.

Based on sufficient evidence gathered during the investigation, the director of the "Dilijan" national park has been charged under part 1 of Article 258.2 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Armenia.

The completion of the investigation has been announced, and the criminal case has been forwarded to the prosecutor overseeing the legality of the investigation, along with a request to confirm the indictment and send it to court.