Interior Minister Discusses Allegations of Torture Against Young Man from Artsakh by Police

My response has been immediate. An internal security and anti-corruption investigation has been launched, and there is also a criminal case with the Investigative Committee regarding this incident. This was announced by Minister of Interior Affairs Arpine Sargsyan during a statement in the National Assembly, addressing the allegations of torture against the young man from Artsakh, Tigran Ulubabyan, by the police in Vanadzor.

The minister noted that, especially in the presence of a criminal investigation, she cannot provide any assessment, because she does not have that authority, but it is imperative that an objective investigation be carried out.

Photos of two of our officers related to this incident have circulated on the Internet. I must state that one of the officers recently sustained injuries and was hospitalized while disarming a grenade from another person involved in a different crime, putting his life at risk.

“As a minister, my question is the following: Can a police officer display proper law-abiding behavior and ensure the safety of others a few days prior, only to later become a violator of human rights? The investigation must provide the answer to this question. I cannot provide an answer, but I must raise this issue,” she stated.

Sargsyan mentioned that according to the alleged victim’s words, he was subjected to an intense beating by eight individuals. “Once again, the investigation must answer how many people were involved, what events transpired, how, and where. However, I must note that a forensic examination was conducted, and yesterday, within the framework of the internal investigation, we received the conclusion of the forensic examination. I have received the examination results within the framework of the internal investigation. The expert stated in the conclusion that the diagnosis of soft tissue contusions in the left pinna and the occipital area of the head is not substantiated by the objective data of the examination, which is why it is not recognized or interpreted as bodily harm,” the minister reported.

Sargsyan raised the question of what can be concluded from the detailed description of the circumstances in such a public domain: intense beating, eight individuals, blows to the face, the process of removing a shirt, the expert’s conclusion, and also the initial diagnosis provided by the medical institution. “What we have here is that in such a situation, both the hospital and the forensic doctor should provide a more complex description than what has been documented so far. I simply record facts for each of us to view the situation objectively and not to pass judgments or smear certain individuals who may ultimately not be deemed guilty. Again, I emphasize, I am not giving assessments; I log that there is a citizen's report indicating that intense beating occurred every 10 minutes, with various injuries involving eight people, and there was no injury resulting from the intense beating every 10 minutes, and that is not documented by the expert conclusion. This simply must become a subject of objective investigation,” she announced.

Sargsyan stated that all these circumstances in the case must be discussed, police officers must be questioned, any available surveillance cameras in the area, if there are any, must be confiscated, the forensic examination must be studied, and the expert may be invited for questioning, etc., etc.

“I rely on the Investigative Committee to conduct an objective and fair investigation regarding this matter. If the investigation reveals that police officers are culpable, those officers will definitely face accountability. And if it emerges that there are false accusations against the police, naturally, there should also be accountability within the logic of false testimony,” she emphasized.