E/CN.4/2001/66
page 19
54.
Artiun Artiunian, the Deputy Executive Director of Armenian Television, was
reportedly detained on 5 January 2000 in connection with the same incident and was similarly
tortured. It is reported that a complaint was lodged by his lawyer on 8 March 2000 against those
in charge of the investigation. This complaint appears to have been rejected on 15 March 2000
on grounds of lack of evidence.
55.
Narian Unanian and Alesksan Artutiunian were also alleged to have been detained. It
is similarly reported that they were subjected to beatings, threats and psychological pressure
from investigators.
56.
The Special Rapporteur has also received information on the following other individual
cases.
57.
Stepan Gevorgian and Oleg Arishin, both aged around 20, reportedly died on 15 April
and 27 April 1999 respectively. They are alleged to have deserted their military unit
on 15 January 1998 but were arrested in Yerevan the following day after a failed car theft. They
are then reported to have spent the following 15 months in Sovetashen Investigation Isolation
Prison in Yerevan, before being transferred to corrective labour colony No. 14 at Artik. The
authorities are said to have stated that Oleg Arishin died as a result of suicide by a drug
overdose. Stepan Gevorgian, however, is said to have died after a severe beating, although
officials are reported to have been unable to apprehend the culprits. The results of the
post-mortem are alleged to indicate that he died as a result of fractures to the skull, inflicted with
a blunt instrument, which resulted in a cranial haemorrhage. The authorities reportedly
undertook an investigation which was subsequently closed as they were unable to ascertain how
he had sustained his fatal injuries. The case was allegedly closed on 28 August 1999.
58.
Lieutenant Colonel Artush Ghazarian, the former military commissar of Tashir district
in the northern Lori region, was reportedly taken into custody on 17 September 1999 to the
Investigation Isolation Prison No. 3 in the northern city of Vanadzor, having reportedly been
charged three days earlier with failure to execute an order and abuse of authority. He was beaten
so severely by prison officials that he died in custody there on 29 September 1999. The
following injuries are said to have been recorded: bleeding in the brain and “softness” of the
brain (encephalomalacia), a broken nose, six broken ribs, a ruptured lung and other injuries.
On 30 September, the Procurator General reportedly ordered that the case be transferred to the
General Procuracy, and an investigatory group was established. It is reported that the inquiry
uncovered a number of other cases in which prisoners had been subjected to ill-treatment by one
of the officials who assaulted Artush Ghazarian. This official is reported to be in custody,
charged with intentional infliction of grave bodily injury, exceeding his authority or official
powers and extortion. However, it is alleged that no criminal proceedings have been brought
against any of the other officials present at the fatal beating, including against two prison doctors
present during the beating.
59.
Eduard Vardanian was reportedly called to the police station in Abovian
on 25 February 1999 to give evidence as a suspect in a murder inquiry. The following day, he
was taken into custody. On 1 March his mother was advised that her son had been cleared of
any suspicion in regard to the murder inquiry but that he was being held in administrative
detention for five days for failing to comply with two previous summonses to give evidence.
Select target paragraph3
Connect to a paragraph
Connect to an entity
Disable highlights
Add to table of contents