Case Concerning Hayk Aghamalyan

On April 9, 2013, an altercation occurred between several young men on Teryan Street, resulting in the death of Tigran Hayrapetyan, who was 19 years old at the time. Hayk Aghamalyan, the defendant, was present during the fight, however, he claims that he was not responsible for Tigran’s death. According to the defendant, he had struck someone else during the altercation and had not contact with Tigran, therefore, was being wrongly accused.

There were several violations during Aghamalyan’s investigation. First, H. Aghamalyan, a minor, was forcefully arrested, taken to the police station, and interrogated without the presence of his lawyer or parent. While he was being held in police custody, H. Aghamalyan was beaten and tortured by 8 officers. Additionally, they threatened his family, coercing him to confess to the murder. The prosecutions case was contingent upon the false testimony provided, since the murder weapon, a knife, was never found and no forensic evidence was discovered. Additionally, police officers entered the Aghamalyan residence without a search warrant, therefore, any evidence collected from that visit should have been considered inadmissible.

A premeditated murder charge can lead up to a 20 year sentence, however, Hayk was only a juvenile when the crime was committed, so the accuser demanded a 8-10 year sentence. Judge Martirosyan convicted H. Aghamalyan of premediated murder and sentenced him to 10 years imprisonment. The defendant’s lawyer sent the case to the Court of Appeals, however, that court did not reverse the decision. Therefore, the case is now being reexamined by the Court of Cassation, but a verdict has yet to be reached.