Andranik Gasparyan was accused of conspiring with Mr. Hayrapetyan and was charged with kidnapping, assault, and robbery under Armenia’s Criminal Code Article 131, part 2 of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd paragraphs as well as Article 175, paragraphs 1 and 4. A. Gasparyan was sentenced to 8 years in prison.
In January 2008, according to police reports, Armen Hayrapetyan, with help from Andranik Gasparyan, tricked Kristine Manukyan into accompanying them to an uninhabited part of the road leading to Erebuni. The two of them robbed K. Manukyan, stealing her phone and gold jewelry. A. Hayrapetyan than proceeded to rape and murder her with a knife.
There were several violations that occurred during the preliminary investigation. For instance, when A. Hayrapetyan was detained and questioned, he claimed he was beaten repeatedly by the police and his testimony was coerced. After torturing A. Hayrapetyan, the police told him that he must refuse his right to defense council and write a statement saying that A. Gasparyan was with him when the crime was committed. Out of fear for his life, A. Hayrapetyan did as he was told. According to his wife, A. Hayrapetyan had bruises on his body during the trail and was behaving strangely. Additionally, while A. Hayrapetyan was giving his testimony in court and explaining the police brutality he experienced, the prosecutor was mocking him saying, “Were you crying when they beat you?” Lastly, the documents prepared by the investigator were faulty. For example, the investigator had introduced a check from a restaurant that was dated in 2007, however, the crime wasn’t committed until 2008. When asked by the Judge to explain the discrepancy, the investigator stated he couldn’t remember.
The prosecutions case against A. Gasparyan was mostly comprised of A. Hayrapetyan’s coerced testimony. On June 6, 2014, the Judge sentenced A. Gasparyan to 8 years in prison. His case was reviewed by the Court of Appeals, however, the decision was not reversed. His legal team then sent a request to the Court of Cassation, however the court rejected his case for review.
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