"OUR SON DID NOT COMMIT SUICIDE"

A1Plus.am
12/05/10

Three years ago, on May 12, the body of Yerevan citizen Levon Gulyan,
31, appeared outside a police building.

To date, no one has been brought to court for Gulyan’s death.

Although the victim’s legal successors have lodged a complaint to
the Court of Cassation, they believe the complaint will be rejected.

The press release of the police department stated that Gulyan slipped,
fell out of the window of the second floor and died.

Gulyan’s relatives assert the opposite. They say Levon was beaten,
and then thrown from the window.

"Our son did not commit suicide. The forensic examination proved
that Levon had died as a result of torture. The expertise specifies
numerous body injuries and fractures, which adds credibility to the
hypothesis of the death as a result of torture. Falling down form the
second floor cannot lead to the injuries, described in the forensic
report," Levon’s father Ashot Gulyan told A1+ today.

After Gulyan’s death a criminal case was opened by the General
Prosecutor’s office in Yerevan under Article 110 of the RA Criminal
Code. But soon it was discontinued because of the lack of corpus
delicti.

Gulyan’s relatives connect their son’s death with the name of Hovik
Tamamyan, Deputy Chief of RA Police, who personally interrogated
Gulyan on the day of the accident.

In reply to A1+’s question why the death has not been disclosed to
date, Gulyan’s legal successor Hrayr Ghukasyan said, "We have evidence
asserting that it was not an accident. There is a group of people who
were with Gulyan during his last days and hours. The case cannot be
dismissed for ungrounded reasons. This is not a matter of personality
or circumstances."

"The case speaks of the atmosphere of permissiveness. If a police
employee is punished, it will mean a collapse of the authorities’
foothold and the police will no more serve the authorities," said
human rights expert Avetik Ishkhanyan.

"If Gulyan’s death was revealed in due time, Vahan Khalafyan’s death
in a Charentsavan police department would be averted," added Mr.
Ishkhanyan.