PROSECUTOR DEMANDS 5 1/2 YEARS FOR SUSPECT IN EDIK BAGHDASARYAN ASSAULT CASE
Ararat Davtyan
20 09/06/10 | 20:50
Court Media
Garen Harutyunyan, the only suspect arrested and charged in the assault
of Edik Baghdasaryan, Hetq’s Chief Editor, on November 17, 2008,
again claimed in court today that he had nothing to do with the crime.
Mr. Harutyunyan, had refused to testify during the preliminary
investigation, but in today’s trial session at the Kentron and
Nork-Marash District Court, he answered all the questions asked of him.
"I was at home at the time and I can prove it. At the police station
they told me that I had done it and asked me how. I told them I hadn’t
and had nothing to say," the suspect declared in court.
During the interrogation of the suspect, Edik Baghdasaryan brought
up the fact that he received three phone call registered to Garen
Harutyunyan’s brother (the son of Garen’s mother’s second husband).
"There are phone calls that the investigators must examine; calls made
hours before and after the incident. I am convinced that one of the
calls was made by Garen Harutyunyan himself. But the investigators
aren’t doing anything. It’s too complicated for we journalists to do;
it could take months," stated Mr. Baghdasaryan.
When asked by the Hetq editor to respond, the suspect said, "I lost
my cell phone card and went without one for about one month."
Before that the court interrogated Norayr Avetisyan, director of
the police training academy, who was walking by when the assault
took place. He said that he went to the Vernisage to play some pool
at a club nearby when he saw Garen Harutyunyan, whom he recognized
as a former resident of his courtyard, and two other unfamiliar men
walking towards the fountains.
"I stopped the car to take a better look at them About 50 meters away
I saw that a fight was ensuing. I ran towards the spot, shouting that
I was a police officer and to stop fighting. They didn’t listen to my
call so I fired my gas pistol into the air. With that, they took off,"
stated Mr. Avetisyan in court.
Mr. Avetisyan said that he started to chase after them but stopped
because he was more concerned with the victim. He recognized Garen
Harutyunyan when he spotted the assailants later on.
The witness said that two of the assailants were beating Edik
Baghdasaryan with their fists and feet from in front while the third
was striking the victim with what appeared to be a heavy object from
behind. He said that Mr. Baghdasaryan tried to get up but the blows
were coming from all sides and he couldn’t.
"It’s a lie. That man (Norayr Avetisyan) is an enemy of mine. That’s
why he’s saying all these things," blurted out Mr. Harutyunyan. The
suspect went on to say that Avetisyan had been in love with his sister
(the daughter of Garen’s mother’s second husband – Hetq) and that
later on the girl had a boyfriend who told Avetisyan to forget about
the girl.
The suspect said that between 3 and 4 pm on the day of the assault he
was busy taking his mother home from the Erebuni Medical Center where
she had been operated on. He said that his mother’s doctor, Lusineh
Tovmasyan, and nurse, Nayira Muradyan, could vouch for him. Nurse
Muradyan is a close friend of the suspect’s mother, Marineh Markosyan.
Defense attorney Vahagn Manoukyan motioned the court to interrogate
these three individuals but Judge Mnatsakan Martirosyan denied the
request arguing that Marineh Markosyan and Nayira Muradyan had a stake
in the outcome of the trial and that they were present throughout
the trial in any case.
Judge Martirosyan stated, "Lusineh Tovmasyan gave testimony during
the preliminary examination that Garen Harutyunyan was at home on
the day of the incident until around 7:00 p.m. This neither refutes
nor substantiates whether he committed or didn’t commit the act he
is charges with that took place at approximately 7:50 pm."
Prosecutor Hayk Balyan stated that the charges of "hooliganism"
brought against the defendant were fully founded and called for a
sentence of 5 1/2 years.
The defense requested a recess to prepare their counter-argument. The
trial will resume on June 19.