32-Year-Old Man Tortured Under the Leadership of Stepanavan Police Chief

Two days ago, Gagik Karapetyan was tortured by police for the third time, this time in his own apartment. Along with him, his 56-year-old mother, Susanna Mirzoyan, was also subjected to violence. This was reported to Forrights by Ms. Susanna, as her son had been beaten and arrested again today: “On the 17th, I had left the house, and when I returned, I saw a group of police officers surrounding our home. About twenty policemen in seven vehicles. My son couldn’t stand it any longer, he said, 'Open the door, I haven’t done anything wrong, let me go see what they want from me.'”

Days earlier, Gagik had told us that police cars had been circling their neighborhood for several days, trying to instill fear in him and his family. “As soon as I opened the door, they burst in like beasts. Stepanavan police chief G Yurjanyan, his deputy Shatinyan, operatives Akhuryan Khachik, Tatoyan Armen, and several others started to beat my child—striking him on the head, stomach, and arms. Then they turned to me... They grabbed my arms and began to hit me. I was filming the entire process, wanting to document it; they tried to snatch my phone from my hands so that I couldn’t record,” adds Ms. Susanna, visibly upset.

According to the mother, after the beating, they dragged Gagik Karapetyan to the Stepanavan police station, where police chief Artak G Yurjanyan tortured her son again. Susanna arrived at the station just as an ambulance was arriving: “I saw them bringing Gagik in—broken, unable to walk or speak. I don’t know what has happened to my son's head; it’s certain he suffered a concussion from all that beating. I cannot imagine how police could come into our home and beat him. If this issue is not resolved, I don’t know; I will not be responsible for my actions. They cannot do this to my child.”

According to her, they intend to