Masked Individuals Allegedly Tortured Samvel Vardanian, Claims Lawyer

A case of alleged torture involving Samvel Vardanian, who was arrested in connection with an incident involving ruling party MP Hakob Aslanyan on public transport, has been reported. This information was disclosed today during an emergency press conference by his lawyer Varazdat Harutyunyan.

“Such episodes can only be heard from individuals who have survived captivity in a Baku prison. Samvel sustained no injuries from the incident with Aslanyan. When I learned about the case, I immediately went to the Forensic Medical Examination Center, and when Samvel was brought in, I saw fresh grass stains on his pants at the knees, his forehead was swollen, his right hand was swollen, his left temple was injured, and there were scratches on his shoulder and arm,” he noted.

Harutyunyan detailed what transpired with Samvel Vardanian: “When they are escorted by police officers to go to the forensic examination, a police vehicle is parked just a minute and a half away. Two plainclothes police officers say they need to relieve themselves, and they inform Samvel and exit the vehicle. Subsequently, masked individuals dressed entirely in black pull him out of the car, take him into the grass, bring him to his knees, and strike his head against the ground, starting to hit him with their hands. This beating is accompanied by sexual insults and derogatory words aimed at undermining his dignity. They then force Samvel to repeat the sexual slurs directed at him; naturally, Samvel resists, and they spit on him, subsequently pulling down his pants, while his hands are shackled. They may have held a baton between his legs for intimidation purposes. The behavior displayed by these individuals is something we have only heard from prisoners of war,” he stated.

According to him, the beating lasted about 3-4 minutes. “After the beating, they dragged him and threw him into the vehicle. Following that, police officers arrived, and he was gasping for breath because he didn’t feel well after the beating. The police mockingly said, ‘you were fine before, what happened to you?’ as if they had no knowledge of the situation. An ambulance supposedly arrived at the forensic center immediately, which is presumed not to be a coincidence,” Harutyunyan added.

He noted that currently, his client feels well. “This is the most disgraceful incident that has occurred in our public life in Armenia,” he concluded.