Blood and Skin Traces Found Under Nails of Arthur Ajamyan, Killed at Combat Position; Argument Preceded Death, Lawyer Says

On December 2, 2019, blood and skin traces similar to those of a human were found under the nails of conscript Arthur Ajamyan, who sustained fatal gunshot wounds at a combat position of the N military unit of the Defense Army. According to expert conclusions, these traces could belong to both Ajamyan and the command of the position, while the question of their belonging to the injured David Melikbekyan has been excluded. This was stated by Hayarpi Sargsyan, the representative of Ajamyan’s legal heirs, in a conversation with "Factinfo".

The lawyer noted that the findings substantiate suspicions that an argument occurred with the position commander, as Ajamyan should not have caused himself injury with his nails nor should his skin have ended up under his nails. It implies that the argument was with the position commander and that the skin belongs to him.

Another comprehensive examination, combining forensic medical, forensic chemical, and forensic biological expertise, has been appointed in the criminal case, but the conclusions regarding them have not yet been received.

It is recalled that the soldier was killed on December 2, 2019, in the early morning. According to the official statement, around 06:50, a Defense Army soldier, Arthur Ishkhan Ajamyan, born in 1998, sustained fatal gunshot injuries at a protection area of one of the units deployed in the northeastern direction. Simultaneously, another soldier, David Harutyun Melikbekyan, born in 1999, was injured.

On the same day, the Investigative Committee reported that a criminal case had been initiated on the incident under Article 34-104, Part 2, Clause 1 of the RA Criminal Code (attempted murder of two or more persons).

Speculations circulated in the media regarding an alleged suicide attempt by Ajamyan after attempting to kill a fellow soldier, which caused outrage among the deceased soldier’s parents and relatives, who held a protest near the National Assembly demanding the identification of their son's murderer. They are convinced that the officer corps knows very well what really happened.

According to the lawyer, the prosecutorial authority has not provided any explanations regarding the discussed versions for several months, thus it cannot be definitively stated whether they adhere to that version or not.

It should be noted that the preliminary investigation has been ongoing for a year now, yet no one has been charged so far. “I believe that at this moment, the prosecutorial authority is using the circumstances that a war has taken place in our country, and the investigative bodies are overloaded. Nevertheless, that circumstance should not be exploited, because the necessary steps need to be taken. There are quite a few facts to at least qualify a person as a suspect,” Sargsyan remarked.

The lawyer previously filed a report about the investigator’s actions to the Prosecutor General’s Office on September 24, 2020, which was forwarded to the military prosecutor's office, and from there to the conducting authority, which is currently undergoing the investigation. The lawyer also expressed a demand to dismiss the investigator from the case, but the investigator remains unchanged.

“We have the same picture as before the war: no accused, no suspects, no results,” she added, noting that only the conclusion related to the examination of the nails has been received and only after the report was made.

“The prosecutorial authority does not see the facts that we record. There have been changes at the crime scene on the very first day; we do not have the bullet that was shot at Ajamyan's head. We do not have the bullet,” she noted, adding that as long as no criminal case has been initiated under those features, no investigation can be conducted.

Regarding Ajamyan's fellow soldier, David Melikbekyan, who came out of a coma last year, the lawyer stated that the investigator acts as a lawyer for Melikbekyan's relatives. “They do not have a lawyer, and the investigator is providing them against the family of Ajamyan. We visited David Melikbekyan in the presence of the investigator, and at that time the investigator was telling them that supposedly shots were fired by Ajamyan towards Melikbekyan. Moreover, he said so emphatically, meaning that even in my presence, the investigator was providing David Melikbekyan's relatives against Ajamyan’s family,” she mentioned, adding that under such circumstances, she does not think there will be progress, and if this continues, she will file a report about a new crime in the near future because from such a prosecutorial body, it is not possible to call and try to clarify something, because it does not provide information.