The Scene of Soldier Arthur Ajamyan's Murder Has Changed; Witness Testimonies Contradict Each Other, Says Lawyer

Two years after the December 2 incident in which soldier Arthur Ajamyan sustained a fatal gunshot wound at a combat position of the N military unit of the Defense Army, there is still no person holding a status of suspicion in the criminal case.

In an interview with NEWS.am, Arthur Ajamyan's legal representative, lawyer Hayarpi Sargsyan, expressed dissatisfaction with the results of the investigative actions and stated that they had reported the crime even before the Artsakh war.

“Since I noticed several violations in the criminal case related to the changes at the scene, shots were fired at Ajamyan’s head, but the bullet is still unknown—where it is, which warranted opening a criminal case. The investigator ignored those circumstances. Because of this, I also requested to disqualify the investigator. During the war, the report I had filed was sent to the military prosecutor's office, and later to the prosecuting body. The investigation dragged on, and the investigator remained the same, meaning the disqualification request was rejected,” he noted.

Sargsyan mentioned that new expert examinations have been appointed—a forensic medical, forensic chemical, and forensic biological analysis. “Blood and skin traces were found under Ajamyan’s nails. According to the conclusion from the expert examination, they could belong to both Ajamyan and the position's senior officer, while the belonging to the wounded David Melikbekian has been ruled out. It turns out that there are skin traces, blood traces, and clothing fibers found under Ajamyan’s nails. A genetic examination was conducted, and it was excluded that they belonged to David Melikbekian. Those traces could belong to both the senior officer and Ajamyan. Factually, it can be said that Ajamyan clawed the senior officer,” said the lawyer, adding that this indicates an argument occurred between them.

According to Sargsyan, the prosecuting body should now question the senior officer as a suspect: “The investigator is currently in Artsakh, and the investigative actions are ongoing.” He noted that the results of Ajamyan's nail examination have already been received for two months, but no investigative action has been conducted.

Regarding the changes at the scene, Sargsyan explained, “Ajamyan’s weapon was placed on him, and he was found inside an ambulance. When he was discovered, he was already dead. They should not have touched him; there are several types of fingerprints on the firearm. Before the law enforcement agencies arrived, Ajamyan was moved into the ambulance, and the weapon was placed on him. It is already unclear where the bullet was fired from. I see contradictions in the testimonies of the witnesses; mainly, they are negative testimonies. This means that the witnesses are trying to conceal what happened.”

He said he would wait for the completion of the investigative actions, and if there are no results again, he will contest the inaction of the prosecuting body in court. It should be noted that according to the official announcement, at around 06:50 on December 2, 2019, soldier Arthur Ishkhanyan Ajamyan, born in 1998, sustained a fatal gunshot wound at a military unit located in the northeastern direction of the Defense Army, while soldier David Harutyun Melikbekian, born in 1999, was injured. A criminal case has been initiated on the basis of murder characteristics.

Additionally, it is worth noting that Ajamyan’s relatives held a protest near the National Assembly, demanding the identification of the person who killed their son.