Criminal Case Filed Against Security Employees of 'Rossiya Mall'

Last year, Auroranews received a report from a citizen that he had been assaulted by security personnel associated with well-known businessman Khachatur Sukiasyan. The citizen reported that he is a driver for the Yandex taxi service and had gone to the area near 'Rossiya Mall' to fulfill an order.

'Initially, I parked at the stop as the client specified that address. The security officers of 'Rossiya Mall' approached and said that I was parked in an unauthorized area. I moved my car a bit forward and parked in the designated taxi area. They came back and said, 'We didn’t just tell you that you’re parked incorrectly.' I pointed out that I had already changed the location and that parking for taxis was allowed there. One of them claimed that this area belonged to Khachatur Sukiasyan, and the other warned me not to mention his name, stating that they would resolve the issue. They then pushed me and started hurling sexual insults.

After a series of mutual insults, they threw me onto the sidewalk, delivering random kicks and punches. They dragged me to a darker area behind the mall and continued to beat me. I managed to escape to my car, but they came, hit my vehicle, and tore off my license plate. They were constantly shouting, 'This is a musor (trash), we’ll catch him and turn him in,'” the citizen told Auroranews, assuring that the police could check the area’s cameras if they desired.

Inside the car, with the doors closed, the citizen called the police: 'I called and described what happened; they said a unit would arrive in 10 minutes. Time passed, and they called again asking me to come to the police station because they were overloaded and couldn't come at that moment.' He went to the Yerevan police department. After two hours, an investigator arrived and wrote a report; after that, he felt unwell and was taken to the 'Erebuni' medical center by the police. The doctor informed him that he had multiple bruises on different parts of his body and a broken nose,” he emphasized, indicating that he only sought justice.

Auroranews established contact with the spokesperson for businessman Khachatur Sukiasyan, Anna Mkrtchyan, who denied the report. 'I spoke with the security department staff. They indicate that no incident involving them occurred yesterday,' Anna Mkrtchyan stated.

Zarzand Gabrielyan, a spokesperson for the police’s press department, also informed Auroranews that the citizen has presented himself to the police: 'The citizen's report has been registered, and a criminal report has been accepted; a forensic examination has been assigned.'

Today, forrights.am addressed Auroranews's publication and reported that a criminal case has been opened against the security employees of 'Rossiya Mall' owned by Khachatur Sukiasyan. To get more detailed information about the case’s progress, Auroranews contacted Zarzand Gabrielyan, who stated that as of January 8th, a criminal case has been opened against the security personnel of 'Rossiya Mall' based on the citizen’s complaint.

'The case has been opened under Article 258 of the Criminal Code and has been forwarded to the Investigative Committee,' Gabrielyan mentioned in a conversation with Auroranews. Additionally, we contacted the spokesperson for the Investigative Committee of the Republic of Armenia, Naira Harutyunyan, who informed that they received the case on Monday evening and could not provide further details yet.