The Trial of Lieutenant Colonel Accused in the Deaths of 18 Soldiers to Resume After More Than 2.5 Years

The trial of Lieutenant Colonel Andranik Veranyan, accused in the death of 18 soldiers during the 44-day war, will resume after more than 2.5 years. This marks the fourth time the case has been sent from one court to another, and the second time it finds itself in the judicial phase. This was reported by Factinfo.

The criminal case was initially taken up by Judge Gnel Gasparyan of the Syunik Regional Court on June 1, 2021. However, considering the victims' requests and the position of the parties, it was sent to the general jurisdiction criminal court in Yerevan while still in the preparatory phase, where it was assigned to Judge Davit Harutyunyan. The case was already in the trial phase and nearing completion, but after the cessation of the judge's powers in July 2023, it was reassigned to Judge Davit Balayan. Later, due to legislative changes, the case was transferred to the Anti-Corruption Court according to the opposition, where it remained under Judge Suren Khachatryan's jurisdiction for more than six months, again reaching the trial phase, with an indictment filed and the sequence of evidence examination established. However, the case also did not find resolution in this court.

It turns out that changes have been made to the appendix defining the list of corrupt crimes in the RA Criminal Code, stating that the article in question is considered corrupt in nature, except in cases "when committed for non-material incentives and with the use of violence, threats of violence, or weapons or special means." Meanwhile, according to the court, there is no description of material incentives and violence in the charges against Veranyan.

During the hearing on February 16, the court decided to send the case back to the general jurisdiction criminal court in Yerevan for further consideration. According to Factinfo, the case has once again been assigned to Judge Davit Balayan, who has decided to refer to the Court of Cassation for clarification on the opposition's issue.

In fact, it will soon reach three years since the case has been in court; however, there has been no movement, as there are either interruptions in the judge's powers or legislative changes affecting the ongoing trial. It is worth noting that the soldiers were serving in the Meghri and Agarak military units before the war started. As hostilities began, the soldiers were sent to Artsakh. On October 9, 2020, an order was received from the higher command to relocate the military personnel to the village of Tili in the Horadiz region. According to the indictment, on the way in Ishkhanadzor, Andranik Veranyan noticed that the "Ural" vehicle transporting the battalion personnel was stationary, and its crew was scattered around it. He called the commander over, who reported that they had heard the sound of a drone and had given the order to disperse and lie on the ground.

According to the criminal case materials, while personally hearing the sound of the UAV in the air, Andranik Veranyan ordered the crew to get back in the vehicle and continue their march, stating that the drone was not their, but the air defense troops' problem. Nineteen soldiers boarded the vehicle and moved on, but 15 minutes later, the drone struck the "Ural," resulting in the deaths of 18 soldiers, and one sustained bodily injury. The relatives of the deceased soldiers insist that the cause of the soldiers' deaths was Veranyan's erroneous order.

He has been charged under Article 375, Part 4 of the RA Criminal Code, for abusing his official position for personal gain during a state of martial law or wartime. During the pre-trial process, Veranyan was subjected to arrest as a preventive measure, which was later changed. Currently, the preventive measure applied to Veranyan is a signature not to leave.