Disgraceful Investigation into the Controversial Deaths of Three Armenian Soldiers at Combat Post

In August 2021, a disgraceful investigation is being conducted regarding the criminal case on the controversial deaths of three Armenian soldiers at a combat post. This was stated by Hayarpi Sargsyan, the lawyer representing the successor of Murad Muradyan, in an interview with "Factinfo".

Recall that on August 19, the bodies of three soldiers were found at one of the combat posts with injuries incompatible with life. Initially, a fellow soldier was arrested and then detained. The Investigative Committee issued an official statement on August 23, announcing the arrest of the post commander as well, on suspicion of inciting the soldiers to death and committing violent sexual acts against a colleague. Sources close to the investigation revealed at that time that sexual violence had been inflicted on the soldier who was detained for the murder of three fellow servicemen.

It should be noted that the soldier accused of the murder was conscripted into the army last February, meaning he had only a few months of service. Currently, only the former post commander and the fellow serviceman are in the status of defendants, who are detained.

Lawyer Hayarpi Sargsyan, representing the successor of the slain soldier Murad Muradyan, stated that a disgraceful investigation is being conducted in this case. According to her, on December 14, she visited the combat post and found that the seal on the entrance door of the wagon house was damaged, and the door was actually open, while the investigator claimed that further investigative actions were planned, and they could not go there.

Moreover, the lawyer discovered that someone had entered and exited, and she sent a letter to the head of the investigative department requesting to clarify and provide information, but there has yet to be any clarification.

“According to the materials provided to the victim’s side, there was a diversion, which was reported multiple times, first one wounded, then two dead and one wounded, whereas the prosecuting body is making baseless claims about alleged drug use. Recently, we received expert conclusions indicating that no drug was found in the system of any of the seven soldiers at the post based on hair tests,” the lawyer noted, adding that the substance found with the post commander was only a drug, raising the question of whether it belonged to him, as no one was found to have used it according to the hair studies.

“They want to suggest that they were allegedly under the influence of alcohol and drugs and harmed each other as a result of interpersonal conflicts, but the facts tell otherwise. The only justification for not being a diversion is: 'The Russians immediately reached the scene, inspected the wagon house, and stated that it was not a diversion,' while by the time the battalion commander arrived on the scene, they had already 'worked well'; they also obtained a self-incriminating testimony,” the lawyer added.

Sargsyan found it significant that days after the incident, the combat post is not under the supervision of the RA Ministry of Defense but is guarded by the border guards of the RA National Security Service.

Regarding the damaged seal and the question of whether an attempt is being made to eliminate evidence, the lawyer responded: “Can you imagine that the investigator would separately take the firearms while the ammunition was provided to him by the new post commander the next day?” The lawyer demanded clarification on why the firearms were taken on the day of the incident, but the ammunition was handled the next day. For this matter too, there has been no explanation for about a month, so she believes it is time to file a complaint.

Addressing the initial hypothesis raised during the preliminary investigation, that the suspect in the murder had been subjected to sexual violence, the lawyer noted that it was found that there were no injuries on his body on the day of the incident. Asked if the charges against the accused had been reclassified following the expert conclusion, the lawyer stated that the article had not been reclassified. Regarding the forensic examinations of the bodies, five months have passed since the incident, but the conclusions of the forensic examinations have still not been received.