VIDEO: Police Officers Assault and Torture ‘Don Pippo’ Construction Manager; Criminal Case Initiated

On April 1, news titled ‘The Manager of Don Pippo's Construction Has Been Brutally Beaten’ was circulated by ‘Hraparak’ news outlet.

In the article and video, the outlet reported how employees of the criminal division of the Vagharchapat police brutally assaulted Artur Asatryan’s construction manager, Mikitar Hovhannisyan. At the time of the incident, Hovhannisyan was at the ‘Nairi’ medical center, diagnosed with a concussion and bone fracture. He provided detailed information about the incident to ‘Hraparak’.

According to Hovhannisyan, the reason was his professional collaboration with Artur Asatryan, and this was not the first instance where he had been disturbed by police officers from the criminal division, who had beaten him on the way to the station and then at the police station itself.

The news outlet contacted Mikitar Hovhannisyan's lawyer, Arman Tamrazyan, today to inquire about the status of his client’s case. “Yes, a criminal case has been opened in the Anti-Corruption Committee on the grounds of torture, under Article 309.1 of the Criminal Code, part 2. The case has been forwarded according to jurisdiction to the Investigative Department of the National Security Service. Mikitar Hovhannisyan has been recognized and interrogated as a victim. Accordingly, the preliminary investigation is ongoing. A forensic medical examination has been appointed, and my client has appeared before the expert. At this moment, the forensic expert’s conclusion regarding the severity of the bodily injuries is not ready. So far, there have been no confrontations, and no charges have been brought,” said Hovhannisyan's lawyer Arman Tamrazyan.