DEPUTY HEAD OF YEREVAN-KENTRON PENITENTIARY CHARGED WITH ABUSING AUTHORITY

Noyan Tapan
June 29, 2009

YEREVAN, JUNE 29, NOYAN TAPAN. The charge brought against the deputy
head of Yerevan-Kentron penitentiary A. Muradian was substantiated in
the criminal case investigated by the Special Investigation Service
of Armenia. The prosecutor’s office approved the indictment and the
case was sent to court.

A criminal case had been opened in connection with the fact that on
April 1, 2009, A. Aghababian convicted of attempted murder broke out
of Yerevan-Kentron penitentiary. The investigation into this case
revealed that the deputy head of the penitentiary A. Muradian abused
his authority, thus committing the crime envisaged by Article 309 of
the RA Criminal Code.

In particular, according to the evidence obtained by investigators,
A. Muradian violated the requirements of Article 24 of the RA Law
on Keeping Arrested and Imprisoned Persons and Chapter 11 of the
RA Criminal Enforcement Service’s Regulations on Keeping Prisoners
in Places of Detention and Correctional Facilities: he abused his
authority established by law by regularly taking the prisoner Arshak
Aghababian convited of a particulary grave crime out of his cell
(without Aghababian’s written consent and a written decision of the
penitentiary head and without making any records) and involving him
in work of economic nature at the penitentiary. On April 1, 2009, at
about 2:30 pm, Aghababian was once again taken out of his cell and told
to unload foodstuffs from a truck and carry them to the penitentiary
storehouse. During this work, the prisoner was not under control,
as a result of which he managed to climb out of a storehouse window
to Nalbandian Street and escape.

According to the press service of the RA Prosecutor General’s Office,
based on the obtained evidence, A. Muradian was charged under Article
309 Part 1 of RA Criminal Code. The criminal case has been sent to
the court of general jurisdiction of Yerevan’s Kentron and Nork-Marsh
communities for examination.