Witnesses in the Murder Case of Cadet Haykaz Barseghyan Are Being Threatened

Witnesses in the murder case of Haykaz Barseghyan, a cadet at the Vazgen Sargsyan Military Institute, are being intimidated and threatened to change their testimonies in order to restart the six-year-old trial and reclassify the murder as suicide. Arakadi Barseghyan, the father of Haykaz Barseghyan, spoke with Factinfo about the pressures facing the witnesses, which began seven years ago through the parents of the accused.

Attempts have been made to meet with witnesses, trying to persuade them to change their statements, which they have refused. Former head of the military institute, Zarmik Markosyan, who is the father of accused Gnel Tevosyan, wanted to meet several times with then Minister of Defense Seyran Ohanyan, who declined these meetings. After Ohanyan's term ended, Vigen Sargsyan promised Barseghyan not to meet with Markosyan or discuss Tevosyan's case.

“Today, the situation in the country is chaotic, and they are taking advantage of this to openly intimidate witnesses,” Barseghyan noted, recounting how witness Gevorg Vardanyan was threatened right in front of the military unit, demanding he change his testimony.

“They called Gevorg Vardanyan out from the unit, stating he needed to change his testimony. They even indicated that he could mention any name, be it the investigator or the policeman, that he couldn't hide and must go to court to change his testimony. They threatened him saying, ‘keep your eyes wide, or we might cut your throat,’ and ‘think about your parents.’ They told him he would have a family in 20 years and needed to think about them,” Barseghyan said.

Similar threats have been made against other witnesses, including Tigran Demirchyan and Hovhannes Petrosyan. According to Barseghyan, the intention is to persuade the witnesses to change their testimonies so that the accused can be released, claiming they did not commit murder and that it was suicide. However, Barseghyan argues that if it were indeed suicide, the first person to be arrested should be forensic doctor Abovyan for providing a false conclusion.

Additionally, Barseghyan revealed that a recording exists in which witness Khachik Minasyan states that they are demanding him to change his testimony in the name of the judge. Barseghyan raised this in court, to which the judge expressed astonishment, saying, ‘What? Pressures are being exerted on witnesses in my name?’ I confirmed, saying ‘yes.’ The recording was made with Minasyan's consent.

Barseghyan mentioned that criminal cases have been initiated regarding the threats made against the witnesses. It should be noted that the criminal case regarding the cadet's murder has been under court review for about six years and is now in its final phase. At the next court session, one of the defendants, Vache Sahakyan, is scheduled to make his final statement, after which the court will move to the consultative room to make a ruling.

Although the conclusion of the trial was proclaimed during the previous session, Sahakyan's defense presented motions to resume the trial, which were rejected. The prosecutor, in the closing arguments, demanded that the accused be found guilty and sentenced to imprisonment for 18 to 20 years, which the victim's side does not agree with. The victim's legal successor, Arakadi Barseghyan, demands life sentences for the accused.

“I don’t understand what kind of brutal murder needs to happen in Armenia for someone to be sentenced to life imprisonment. Is there a justification that they were 18 years old, etc.? Excuse me, my child was only a few months older than them. What can the parents say when the remains have not been found yet? When 18-year-old children are sent to the mouth of fire, it's said it’s permissible because it's for the homeland, but when such scoundrels are involved, we say they were 18 years old. We should think about good sons, not about such scoundrels,” Barseghyan stated, adding that he demands life sentences for the accused, and believes the death penalty should not be abolished.

It is noted that the cadet's body was discovered on January 29, 2015, hanging from a horizontal bar in the gym of the Ministry of Defense's Vazgen Sargsyan Military Institute. According to the case materials, several servicemen held onto the cadet's legs and arms while he was lying in bed, blocking his mouth and depriving him of the ability to call for help. They then cut the vein in his right forearm with a sharp object, followed by strikes to the cadet's chest and face, and subsequently asphyxiated him before dressing his body and relocating it to the gym, where he was hanged from the horizontal bar, leading to Haykaz Barseghyan's death from asphyxiation as a result of these brutal actions.

The case involves four of Haykaz Barseghyan's comrades, Gnel Tevosyan, Norik Sahakyan, Vache Sahakyan, and Movses Azaryan, who are accused of the murder of Haykaz Barseghyan. Additionally, charges were brought against fellow cadet Varazdat Safaryan, whose prosecution was halted during the trial due to the statute of limitations expiring.