Investigation Committee Indicted Andranik Makaryan Months Ago but Forgot About Him

The Deputy Head of the Chief Military Staff of the Armed Forces, Andranik Makaryan, was indicted months ago, which authorities have attempted to present anew in recent days. 'Factinfo' submitted a written inquiry to the Investigation Committee of Armenia to clarify under which criminal case and when the indictment was made against Makaryan, whether there had been a confrontation interrogation involving him, and when he last participated in an interrogation or other investigative activities.

The Investigation Committee confirmed that Andranik Makaryan was indicted on February 22, 2021, under part 3 of Article 376 of the Armenian Criminal Code. However, the Committee did not provide further information related to investigative actions involving Andranik Makaryan. Additionally, 'Factinfo' inquired in writing how many military personnel had been indicted in connection with this criminal case and on what grounds, and whether former Minister of Defense Davit Tonoyan, former Chief of General Staff Onik Gasparyan, former Chief of General Staff Movses Hakobyan, former Commander of the Artsakh Defense Army Jalal Harutyunyan, and former Secretary of the Security Council of Artsakh Samvel Babayan had been interrogated.

The Investigation Committee stated, 'According to part 1 of Article 201 of the Criminal Procedure Code of Armenia, the body conducting the proceedings finds it inappropriate to publish preliminary investigation data within the framework of the criminal case.'

'Factinfo' sought clarification from Andranik Makaryan's lawyer Amram Makinyan regarding when the last investigative action with Andranik Makaryan took place and what new circumstances had emerged that prompted the authorities to attempt to revive the information regarding his indictment days ago. It turned out that there had been no investigative activities involving Makaryan for a considerable amount of time. According to the lawyer, there was no reason to rehash or update a multi-month-old indictment, and the actions of these people are unclear and illogical.

As for the possibility of bias against Makaryan, the lawyer asserted that he does not believe it is directed specifically at Andranik Makaryan; there is no such impression. He stated that it is directed against the army. According to the lawyer, such absurd charges against a high-ranking officer primarily target the army and the foundations of statehood, asserting that the indictment is evidently unfounded.