The Commander Accompanying Pashinyan's Motorcade Found Guilty in Sona Mnatsakanyan's Death

Sona Mnatsakanyan was fatally injured in a hit-and-run incident at the intersection of Paronyan and Leo streets in Yerevan. The investigation launched by the Investigative Committee regarding this incident is now concluding, with the case set to be forwarded to court for substantive review.

The investigative body has determined that Commander A.N. of the traffic police escort unit, while on duty and operating a service vehicle, a Toyota Prado with registration number 505 II 01, violated a number of rules while escorting motorcades on April 26, 2022, at 18:19. Specifically, he contravened provisions of the Road Traffic Rules established by the government decision No. 955-N dated June 28, 2007, and the special rules for escorting vehicles, as well as the law on road traffic safety. As a consequence, he created an emergency situation and struck pedestrian Sona Mnatsakanyan, who was lawfully crossing Paronyan street on a green pedestrian signal and had the right of way, resulting in her death due to negligence. After the incident, A.N. left the scene of the accident, violating Article 24 paragraph 4 of the Law on Road Traffic Safety.

Additionally, the prosecutor overseeing the legality of the criminal proceedings evaluated the request from the investigator regarding the lack of public criminal prosecution under Article 247, paragraph 2 of the former Criminal Code against key individuals including A. L., who was regulating traffic at the aforementioned junction, and others involved in the escort. The prosecutor concluded that the regulations were in compliance with traffic safety standards at the time of the incident, hence, no criminal liability could be ascertained for the actions of those involved in the escort.

Reflecting on the actions of G. A. and A. S. during the incident, the prosecutor noted that the establishment of liability under the former Article 247 of the Criminal Code necessitated decisive definitions from the relevant regulatory acts establishing proper protocols for traffic escorts, which were not explicitly outlined. Consequently, there was a legislative gap regarding the enforcement rules of responsibilities for escort service leaders. Therefore, no criminal implications regarding G.A.'s and A.S.'s actions could be established according to the evidence available.

Ultimately, the fact that Sona Mnatsakanyan was crossing the road at a designated point on a green light meant that evidence was insufficient to substantiate claims of her visibility to the driver, resulting in no criminal liability recognized under the former Article 247.