Who Is Behind the Cover-Up of the Case Leading to Garnik’s Suicide After Entering the National Assembly? Details Revealed

Interesting details have emerged for NEWS.am concerning the reasons behind the suspension of the criminal case initiated over the suicide of 27-year-old Garnik Petrosyan, who entered the National Assembly building and posed for a photo on the deputy speaker’s chair after the capitulation agreement was announced on November 9.

It turns out that during the pre-investigation stage of the case, investigators from the investigative committee received information about threats and pressures allegedly applied to Garnik Petrosyan by employees of the National Security Service (NSS) hours prior to the suicide. This occurred in connection with another case under investigation at the NSS, including threats directed at Petrosyan’s sister, as well as other significant circumstances related to the case.

Moreover, according to the information we have received, there were other detainees in the room during Petrosyan’s questioning that could have been key witnesses for this case. All this was reported to the prosecutor overseeing the case, but they, upon the directive of the Prosecutor General Artur Davtyan, instructed the investigator not to pursue the case or circulate this theory in any way.

Instead, the prosecutor's office rushed to deny the artificially circulated theory following the incident, claiming that Petrosyan was murdered and staged a simplistic and unsuccessful scenario regarding the suicide motives. The fact is that Garnik Petrosyan jumped from the bridge on the day he was officially charged in connection with the occupation of the National Assembly building on November 13, around 22:04, just one hour after being questioned by the NSS.

A few days after the suicide incident, on November 18, the prosecutor’s office hastily declared that G. Petrosyan had previously attempted suicide through medication ingestion. This case dates back to an alleged incident that occurred 11 years ago, which the victim had reportedly confessed to NSS agents for unknown reasons.

Relying on the alleged testimony provided by the victim at the NSS, the prosecutor's office directed the investigation toward a simplistic hypothesis that the victim had previously been inclined to end his life, effectively predetermining the outcome of the case.

As a result, the pre-investigation body suspended proceedings on March 12, 2021, on the grounds that the identity of a suspect liable for charges was unknown.

It is noteworthy that both the investigative committee and the Prosecutor General's office have declined to respond to NEWS.am's inquiries about the procedural status of the NSS officers who questioned Garnik Petrosyan before the suicide, whether they have been questioned, and so on. Furthermore, the Prosecutor General’s office has even refused to disclose the identity of the prosecutor overseeing the case, avoiding targeting a key participant in the cover-up operation.

However, right from the beginning of the investigation, on the prosecutor's instructions, NSS agents were supposed to question the individuals at least with a status of suspicion. The investigators in the case, under proper judicial oversight, were obligated to clarify the conditions under which Petrosyan was questioned, whether the questions posed could have created an atmosphere of fear for the charged individual, whether it could have disrupted the mental stability of the accused, and other important questions.

It should be noted that on November 10, 2020, following the publication of the trilateral declaration on the cessation of hostilities, Garnik Petrosyan was arrested in connection with a criminal case investigated by the NSS on organizing and carrying out mass disturbances. He was charged on November 13 with characteristics under three articles of the criminal code and was released after 72 hours of arrest.

That evening, the young man’s body was found under the Kiev Bridge.