Grandfather Hits 6-Year-Old Grandson in a Way That Ultimately Costs the Child His Life, Investigation Reveals

The investigation by the Tavush regional investigative department of the Armenian Investigative Committee concerning the case of S.H. of the Khashtarak community and his daughter M.H. has concluded. They were charged with inflicting serious physical pain and mental suffering on their underage children, leading to the death of one child due to negligence.

According to the facts gathered during the investigation, on August 16, 2020, at around 2:00 PM, in his house located in the Khashtarak community, S.H. struck his 6-year-old grandson in the face due to a disturbance. As a consequence, the child fell to the floor, striking his head on the leg of a sofa, which resulted in life-threatening injuries.

The 6-year-old child passed away on August 25, 2020, at the “Holy Mother of God” medical center due to the injuries sustained. Additionally, on the same evening, in their home yard, S.H. struck another underage grandchild, a 4-year-old, several times with a stick for throwing a tire at him, before lifting him up and throwing him to the ground, causing moderate injuries to the child's health.

It has also been determined that S.H. and his daughter, who is the mother of two of the children, regularly inflicted numerous strikes on the bodies of the six underage children with their hands, feet, sticks, and other objects in various domestic circumstances, causing both moderate and serious bodily harm along with severe mental suffering leading up to August 16, 2020.

Based on the prosecution initiated by the supervising prosecutor, S.H. was formally charged under the former Armenian Criminal Code, Article 112 (part 2, point 14), Article 113 (part 1), and Article 119 (part 2, points 1, 3, and 5), which corresponds to the current criminal code’s Article 166 (part 2, points 2, 7, and 15), Article 167 (part 2, points 4 and 9), and Article 196 (part 2, points 3, 5, and 6). His daughter has been charged under Article 119 (part 2, points 1, 3, and 5) of the former code, equivalent to Article 196 (part 2, points 3 and 6) of the current code.

Initially, pre-trial detention was selected as a measure of restraint, which was later replaced with a prohibition on absence. In January 2023, a decision was made by the prosecuting body to apply a special protective measure against five minors, restricting proximity or contact with the protected individuals. A copy of this decision was sent to the director of the SOS Children’s Village branch in Ijevan.

The pre-investigation has concluded, and the materials of the criminal case, along with a prosecution conclusion, have been forwarded to the supervising prosecutor.