‘If a person has been discharged from the army due to certain issues, it does not necessarily mean that they are mentally ill’: Lawyer on the Pemzashen case

The victim's side in the case of the murder of 31-year-old Zarine and her two children in Pemzashen will remain persistent and will go all the way. This was stated by Garik Galikyan, the representative of Zarine's husband, in an interview with ‘Factinfo’. He noted that a number of expert examinations have been appointed in the framework of the proceedings, including forensic genetic, forensic medical, and forensic trace examinations, and that the victim's side will make motions after receiving the conclusions.

Currently, not all data is available to the victim's side, including the hypotheses put forward by the investigating body. The conclusions of the expert examinations have not yet been received, and the lawyer refrained from making evaluations, but he recorded that they will be persistent and will go all the way to clarify every detail.

In response to the observation that there are several inconsistencies in the official information provided by law enforcement, including the unclear whereabouts of Arkadi Barseghyan during this entire time, and the impression that particularly serious crimes are attributed to Vruyr Barseghyan while simultaneously presenting him as a person with mental illness without obtaining the conclusion of a forensic psychiatric examination, Galikyan stressed: ‘First of all, let us record that Vruyr is not mentally ill. To be mentally ill, an expert conclusion is required that a person has been declared incompetent. If a person has been discharged from the army due to certain issues, it does not mean that they are mentally ill and that they were incompetent at the time of committing the act. The examinations have been appointed, and when we receive the conclusion, we will provide a more precise interpretation.’

As to what kind of relationship Zarine's husband had with the Barseghyans, in response to the observation that information was circulating that the ‘Tikh’ was in foreign employment with Arkadi Barseghyan, Galikyan mentioned that there was no specific relationship as such, there is no hostility. ‘In any case, the investigation is ongoing. We will be vigilant and will raise any shortcomings we notice,’ emphasized Garik Galikyan,” the publication states.

It is noted that a tragic incident occurred on November 9 in the village of Pemzashen, Shirak Province. Three bodies were discovered in one of the houses in the village. The deceased are the mother, 31-year-old Zarine, and her two children, a 12-year-old daughter and an 8-year-old son. Law enforcement agencies reported that the body of a male child was found on a single bed in the bedroom, with stab wounds to the chest and his hands and feet tied, while the body of a female child was found on the floor of the same bedroom, also with stab wounds to the back and abdomen, and the body of a female adult was found with stab wounds to the abdomen and chest, with her hands tied behind her back.

A 32-year-old resident of Shirak Province was arrested on November 12 on suspicion of the brutal murders, who confessed to the police. The next day, a second suspect, a 41-year-old man, was also arrested. The men are relatives, both are married and have children. The murdered woman’s husband was in Russia for work and returned after the tragic incident. According to the statement from the Investigative Committee, the accused entered the house to steal money, but, realizing that there was no money in the house, in order to hide their crimes, they first tied the victim and, in a coordinated manner, brutally murdered her; then, to cover up their crimes, the 32-year-old man tied the hands and feet of the children and inflicted stabs with a kitchen knife on various parts of their bodies, causing injuries incompatible with life.

One of the men, 32-year-old Vruyr Barseghyan, has been charged under Article 155, Part 2, Items 6, 8, and 13 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Armenia, as well as Article 155, Part 2, Items 3, 5, 6, and 13 (two episodes) for committing murder with special cruelty by a group of individuals aimed at concealing another crime, and for murdering two minors in a helpless state with special cruelty, Article 252, Part 3, Item 2 for illegally entering a residence for robbery, and Article 198, Part 4 for committing violent acts of a sexual nature against a person under 12 years of age. The other accused, 41-year-old Arkadi Barseghyan, who, according to the press, is a supporter of Nikol Pashinyan, has been charged with committing murder by a group of individuals aimed at concealing another crime and illegally entering a residence for robbery. Both are in custody.