Today, the Court of First Instance of Arabkir and Zeytun administrative districts, presided by Judge Armen Khachatryan, continued the court session of the criminal case against former head of Criminal Investigations Division Samvel Hovhannisyan. Our colleague, responsible for the legal page of “Aravot”, journalist Ruzan Minasyan was called to the court. The witness said that last year she was called to the National Security Investigation Department. Thinking that it is connected with her regular publication, she presented the investigator A. Grigoryan. When it turned out that she was called with regard to the case of former head of NSI Samvel Hovhannisyan’s case “for preparation of murdering of other convict through another convict”, R. Minasyan invited lawyer Narine Rshtuni to NSS, and gave testimony in her presence. The witness also said that she knew S. Hovhannisyan when he was the head of this institution, in addition, they had mutual friends, with whom she, as well as with Hovhannisyan, was in frequent communication before being arrested. Ruzan Minasyan said that she referred to the “victim” convict Jemal Sloyan in “Aravot”, still in 2006. He murdered Ahmad Sharoyan in Russia, who was a veteran of the Karabakh War, a police captain, a father with three children. Later, he was sentenced to 12 years in prison by a court in Russia and moved to Armenia to serve his sentence. As at the investigation, so as at the trial, our colleague said that after the murder of their brother, Sharoyan’s family left Armenia with the whole family, they warned her for several times that they wanted to release Jemal Sloyan from further punishment, and move from “Goris” penitentiary facility to “Artik” penitentiary facility, afterwards to “the Hospital of prisoners.” The journalist reported the calls to relevant state authorities. To the question whether Ruzan Minasyan referred to Samvel Hovhannisyan related to regime change, she answered, no, because first S. Hovhannisyan was not working at the penitentiary institution, and then for the simple reason that Sharoyan’s family had their lawyer who was performing the protection of interests of the victim’s successor. At the interview, prosecutor Aram Amirzadyan tried to know what our colleague talk about on the phone with a former police officer, Ruzan, first, was surprised, and then answered the question with a question, “Did you wiretap that too? I am covering this court-legal aspect for 23 years, and I have never seen such a thing. Who has wiretapped, let him come and answer. It was a private conversation, which I do not remember.” The journalist was more surprised when the questions were related even to “meeting places,” near Gay statue, at the café.
Hripsime HOVHANNISYAN
