LEVON GULIAN’S RELATIVES NOT TO BURY HIM UNTIL THEY FIND OUT CIRCUMSTANCES OF HIS DEATH

Noyan Tapan
May 15 2007

YEREVAN, MAY 15, NOYAN TAPAN. The relatives of Levon Gulian, who
died at the Criminal Investigation Department of RA Police, are not
going to carry out his burial intil they receive true conclusion from
forensic expertise. They reported this at the May 15 press conference,
among the initiators of which was first RA Ombudsperson, Executive
Director of Against Legal Self-Will NGO, Larisa Alaverdian.

AccordIng to the official report of Police, Levon Gulian fell down
from the window of second floor of building of Criminal Investigation
General Department on May 12 and died on the spot. He was invited
to the department that day as a witness, for giving testimony
in connection with the fact of murder of criminal authority
S. Vardanian. However, the relatives and lawyer of Gulian affirm
that 31-year-old Levon Gulian was just thrown out by the high-ranking
policeman who had cruelly beaten him.

Gulian’s relatives also reported that they have sent applications to
RA President, Prime Minister, offices of New York’s Ombudsperson and
OSCE. RA Ombudsperson Armen Haroutiunian promised to pursue disclosure
of circumstances of Levon Gulian’s death. Representatives of several
NGOs who were present at the press conference are also going to pursue
disclosure of real reasons of L. Gulian’s death and those guilty of
it and demand that RA authorities and Police disclose those guilty of
Gulian’s death within 24 hours. In their words, Chief of Police Hayk
Haroutiunian, Deputy Head of Criminal Investigation Department Hovik
Tamamian are equally responsible for the incident, the Prosecutor’s
Office carrying out preliminary investigation on the case should also
give an irrefragable answer.

"A man died in the building of state body as a result of being
tortured," a representative of Institute of Civil Society NGO stated
adding that if it is not this way, let them prove the opposite. It was
also mentioned that the Police even did not consider it necessary to
inform Gulian’s relatives about the incident, after looking for him
for a long time they found his corpse in the morgue.

Representatives of interests of victim’s legal successor, lawyers
Artur Grigorian, Ruben and Narine Rshtunis refused to carry out their
service. Victim’s relatives are going to involve a new representative.