Criminal Case Opened Over Self-Justice Incident by Residents of Yeghnadzor Community

The Investigative Committee of the Republic of Armenia is conducting an investigation to clarify the circumstances of an alleged self-justice incident carried out by several residents of the Yeghnadzor community.

According to preliminary data, on August 24, 2018, the former governor of Armavir Province appointed a resident of the same village as the acting head of the Yeghnadzor community through decision No. 287. This decision was contested in the Administrative Court of Armenia by the former head of the Yeghnadzor community, and the court ruled to invalidate the decision of the former governor of Armavir Province regarding the appointment of the acting head of the Yeghnadzor community, which came into legal force.

Additionally, through another decision issued on June 22, 2020, this decision of the former governor was declared invalid, and another decision established a working group to organize the acceptance-transfer works in the Yeghnadzor community.

The working group visited the Yeghnadzor community from July 8 to 15, 2020. However, a group of community residents, disagreeing with the court and the decisions made by the Armavir governor, chose to block the entrance to the community administration building instead of contesting them through established legal means. They placed a note on the door stating “Closed.”

As a result, the working group was unable to carry out its intended acceptance-transfer activities, which significantly disrupted the normal functioning of the community administration and, in turn, caused serious harm to the rights or legal interests of individuals.

In connection with this incident, a criminal case was initiated on July 25, 2020, in the Investigative Department of the Armavir Province under Article 322 (Self-Justice) of the Criminal Code of Armenia. An investigation is underway.

Note: A person suspected or accused of a crime is presumed innocent until proven guilty in accordance with the procedure established by the Criminal Procedure Code, by a legally binding decision of the court.