Man Held Fellow Citizen in His Home Under Conditions Equivalent to Slavery

The Investigative Committee of Armenia has revealed the details surrounding a case of trafficking and intentional infliction of serious bodily harm involving a 48-year-old resident of Gyumri.

According to reports from the Investigative Committee, the investigation that took place in the Department for the Investigation of Particularly Important Cases has uncovered that in September 2018, the man, aware of his fellow citizen’s lack of employment and other sources of income, proposed that they engage in animal husbandry in the village of Tsaghkashat, promising to compensate him with calves born from the livestock.

By instilling a sense of fear in his fellow citizen, the 48-year-old man restricted his freedom of movement and kept him in his home under conditions lacking basic necessities. Until March 28, 2020, the victim lived in conditions comparable to slavery, taking care of the animals and performing degrading work without any form of payment.

Moreover, on March 24, 2020, the man beat his fellow citizen near his home, using his hands and feet, as well as striking him numerous times with the iron part of a shovel, inflicting serious bodily harm endangering the victim's life.

Based on the accumulation of sufficient evidence, the 48-year-old man has been charged under Article 132, Part 2, Point 4, and Article 112, Part 1 of the RA Criminal Code. The measure of restraint chosen is a signature not to leave.

The preliminary investigation has been completed, and the criminal case has been forwarded to the prosecuting authority with a motion to confirm the indictment and send it to court.