Witnesses Testify Against Jalal Harutyunyan

In the trial of former Chief of Staff Jalal Harutyunyan, witnesses examined in court, including Mher Araqelyan, Frunze Stepanyan, and Alexander Mkrtchyan, provided testimony supporting the accusations against him. This is reported by Factinfo.

The hearing, presided over by Judge Garik Abelian at the Syunik Regional Court, included testimonies from three summoned witnesses: the Captain of the Tsori military unit and two servicemen serving in the same unit. As noted, their testimonies were against Jalal Harutyunyan.

“They testified that they received a notification from the command that the approaching troop was 'certainly ours,' which led them to believe that the group approaching towards the Tsori division was composed of our servicemen. As a result, they did not open fire and did not leave their combat position, thinking that the approaching forces were not the enemy. Consequently, the enemy arrived and surrounded the artillerymen,” said Liparit Simonyan, representative of the victims' legal successors, in a conversation with Factinfo.

He noted that so far, only these three witnesses have been questioned, and they answered all inquiries clearly, stating that they had even heard the command that 'these are our people, 100 percent our people, continue your activities.'

The next court session is scheduled for April 25, where witness examinations will continue. The summoned witnesses primarily consist of soldiers from the same military unit, military command personnel, and high-ranking officers who were present at the same location as Jalal Harutyunyan and heard the orders, as well as the legal successors of the victims. Overall, the number of individuals to be questioned is over 50.

It is noteworthy that during the preliminary investigation on one of the episodes of the case against former Chief of Staff Jalal Harutyunyan regarding the counteroffensive on October 7, 2020, criminal prosecution has been suspended, while another episode concerning the attack on the Tsori unit's D20 division on October 12 has been sent to court.

According to the charges, Jalal Harutyunyan, holding the position of the Chief of Staff and ranked as lieutenant general, acted as a public servant responsible for providing orders and ensuring their execution during a state of martial law on October 12, 2020. He displayed negligence towards his duties, which resulted in serious consequences.

Specifically, during the enemy's attack on the D20 division, the division command contacted Jalal Harutyunyan's deputy, Artillery Branch Head Genadi Baghdasaryan, to inform him of the enemy's attack, but Jalal Harutyunyan reportedly indicated that the approaching forces were friendly. An interim measure has been applied against Jalal Harutyunyan, prohibiting him from leaving the country.