Innocent Man Detained Under Cancer Conditions, Says Lawyer of Suspect in 'Massivtsi Andiki' Murder Case

Armen Gharybyan, accused of aiding in the murder of Andranik Harutyunyan, known as 'Massivtsi Andiki', was diagnosed with cancer last July. His lawyer, Arsen Sardarayan, claims the charges against him are baseless.

It is noteworthy that the case against the accomplice has been separated and is already in court, presided over by Judge Artush Gabrielyan. Sardarayan stated, "He is accused of allegedly assisting the one who committed the murder. The basis of the accusation is a phone found in Gharybyan's home, which supposedly had a card inserted at some point, and from which a call was made to the person who supposedly committed the murder."

The lawyer described the charges against Gharybyan as unfounded and lacking connection. "The prosecuting body has allowed for a person to be accused of murder and sent to trial. In other words, we should be happy that the alleged murderer didn’t call us, otherwise we would have become accomplices too," said Sardarayan.

Sardarayan mentioned that Gharybyan has been in custody for nearly a year. "The first-instance court has not provided us with the detention order so we can appeal it in the Court of Appeals. An innocent person is kept in detention amidst serious malignant cancer conditions," he added.

The defense attorney noted that there has been no confrontation in the criminal case, and there is no evidence supporting the charges. "He doesn’t even understand why he is being detained and accused in the first place," he said.

According to the indictment, Armen Gharybyan allegedly aided Suleiman Ayubov-Miiyev by providing information and making a prior promise to conceal a particularly serious crime, particularly regarding the murder of Andranik Harutyunyan on July 3, 2019, around 23:00 in the courtyard of building 17 on Mikoyan Street in the 5th block of Nor Nork, using illegally acquired firearms.

Recall that a report was received at 23:10 on July 2, 2019, from the St. Grigor Lusavorich Hospital to the Nor Nork Division of Police stating that Andranik Harutyunyan, born in 1973, was brought in with gunshot wounds.

Additionally, the Prosecutor's Office released a statement indicating that evidence was obtained during the preliminary investigation suggesting that the murder of Andranik Harutyunyan was committed by Suleiman Ayubov-Miiyev, born in 1987, who is registered in the village of Alkhan-Kala in Russia's Grozny region, and who arrived in Armenia in June 2019, leaving the country on July 3, the same year. On August 21, 2019, a decision was made to involve him as a defendant under the Armenian Penal Code and a search warrant was issued against him.