27-Year-Old Man Abducted and Beaten for Offensive Instagram Post

The Investigation Committee of Armenia has reported details surrounding the abduction of a 27-year-old man as a result of extensive investigative and procedural actions conducted by the Main Investigation Department for Particularly Important Cases.

Following a thorough investigation, it was established that a 36-year-old resident of Yerevan, upon learning about offensive posts made by the 27-year-old man on his Instagram page concerning a friend of his, conspired to abduct him for punishment with the help of this friend and a group of individuals.

According to the agreement, the 27-year-old man's colleague, exploiting the trust built through their relationship, misled him under the pretext of getting a tattoo on his body, and on December 11, 2020, at 21:09, invited him to a workshop adjacent to his house. On the same day, around 23:00, the young man arrived at the mentioned location, where the 36-year-old man along with his friends unlawfully deprived the 27-year-old of his freedom for about an hour and assaulted him, demanding the identity of the person who had made the offensive Instagram posts.

After receiving a negative response, they continued their criminal actions and, under the threat of knife violence, forced the young man into a Mercedes vehicle and transported him against his will to another location, where they continued to unlawfully detain and beat him for about an hour and a half. Subsequently, around 01:25, the 27-year-old was released through the intervention of his friend, under the condition of revealing the identity of the individual who made the offensive posts.

Based on sufficient evidence, the 36-year-old man has been charged under Article 131, Part 2, Points 1, 2, and 3 of the RA Criminal Code. He has been remanded in custody, and the pre-trial investigation has concluded. The case has been forwarded to the prosecutor for a motion to confirm the indictment and initiate court proceedings.

Notice: A suspect or accused in the alleged crime is presumed innocent until proven guilty in accordance with the procedure established by the RA Criminal Procedure Code by a legally binding court verdict.