Efforts to Cover Up Police Violence Against Goris Deputy Mayor Manuk Hovsepyan

The criminal case regarding the police violence against Goris Deputy Mayor Manuk Hovsepyan is reportedly being attempted to be covered up. The criminal case has been ongoing for over a month, yet in response to inquiries from "Factinfo," the Special Investigation Service stated that no charges have been filed against any individuals.

It should be noted that within this criminal case, Manuk Hovsepyan has been recognized as a victim, and an examination of the crime scene has confirmed that the violence was applied against the war participant Hovsepyan in the office of Yerevan's Deputy Police Chief Arthur Zakaryan. Although this detail became known about a month ago, the victim's side still does not have information on whether Zakaryan has been interrogated or not.

The media outlet contacted Hovsepyan's lawyer, David Karapetyan, who stated in a conversation that there has not yet been a face-to-face interrogation involving Hovsepyan. As previously reported, Hovsepyan was arrested on April 22 in relation to protests against Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan that took place in Syunik. He was subsequently taken to the Yerevan police department, where he was subjected to physical and psychological torture.

The lawyer reported the incident, providing details about the humiliating treatment towards Hovsepyan, a citizen of Armenia and a war participant who is also a father of many. It was noted that police officers had placed their foot on his head and insulted him, asking if he was playing the hero and if he wanted to be subjected to physical violence. Offensive remarks were made towards him, and all of this was recorded.

Furthermore, the lawyer filed a report of the crime with the Special Investigation Service, where based on the prepared materials, a criminal case was initiated under Articles 309 (2) and 314 (1) of the RA Criminal Code for exceeding official powers with violence and committing official forgery.