Police Officers Sentenced to 7 Years for Brutally Beating a Citizen

On March 11, 2019, the Armenian Special Investigative Service initiated a criminal case based on the features outlined in Article 309.1, Part 2, Clauses 1, 2, and 4 of the Armenian Criminal Code regarding the torture of a citizen by police officers, as reported by the Prosecutor General's Office. Following thorough and consistent prosecutorial oversight during the investigation, sufficient evidence was obtained supporting that on March 2, 2019, around 18:00, B. A., a senior operational officer of the Criminal Investigation Department at the Shengavit Division of the Yerevan Police, and A. H., another operational officer from the same division, while in civilian clothes, approached two brothers, H. and N. Arakelyan, who were involved in a dispute with others at the intersection of S. Tarontsi and H. Hovsepyan Streets, near the “Shengavit” metro station. They neither identified themselves as police officers nor showed any credentials, but forcefully dragged the brothers, demanding that they leave the area.

Believing that the officers were friends of the boys they were arguing with, the brothers responded by pulling back, after which the officers forced them into a vehicle. During their transfer to the Shengavit Police Division, the mentioned police employees, with a shared intent to punish the brothers for allegedly resisting them and cursing inside the vehicle, repeatedly struck one of the brothers in various parts of his body, causing severe physical pain and moderate bodily injuries.

Based on the prosecutorial decision, the indictment was approved, and the case was forwarded on July 4, 2019, to the primary court of general jurisdiction in Yerevan for consideration. During the trial, the court, considering the evidence presented by the prosecuting attorney as valid, delivered a verdict on December 28, 2021, finding the two police officers guilty of committing torture as part of a group, as articulated in Article 309.1, Part 2, Clause 4 of the Armenian Criminal Code, and sentenced them to 7 years of imprisonment, revoking their right to hold positions in state bodies, local self-governing bodies, and related organizations for a period of 3 years. This is, in fact, the first conviction under Article 309.1 of the Armenian Criminal Code.

Notice: A person suspected or accused of a crime is presumed innocent until proven guilty by a final court judgment in accordance with the rules established by the criminal procedure code of the Republic of Armenia.