It appears that Syunik governor Surik Khachatryan’s nephew, Mayis Khachatryan, convicted of the stabbing, was granted an amnesty by the decree of the President of the Republic of Armenia, Serzh Sargsyan. This was confirmed from the presidential office in response to the inquiry of “Heritage” party MP Zaruhi Postanjyan. Jemma Hakobyan, Head of the Department for Amnesty, Citizenship, Awards and Titles of the Office to the President, replied to the lawmaker, “I inform you that Mayis Khachatryan was convicted by the 1st District Court of General Jurisdiction of Syunik Region as of 24.09.2004 for 12 years in prison by the RA Criminal Code, Article 104, Paragraph 2, clause 10 and Article 258, Paragraph 3, clause 1 and has taken the punishment since March 1, 2004. Pursuant to the RA President’s decree as of 14.07.2010. No-157-A, Mayis Khachatryan was granted an amnesty.” Whereas Mayis Khachatryan was sentenced for committing a particular grave crime in intentional murder as a result of hooliganism. Note that Surik Khachatryan’s nephews, including the aforementioned Mayis Khachatryan, stabbed a young man to death – a 30-year-old Hovhannes Badalyan, for just touching their shoulder. There were dozens of knife stabs, including sticking the knife into the anus and pulling up. Mayis Khachatryan, according to the materials of the case file, he made 12 knife stabs and was sentenced to 12 years in prison. Recently, during the hearing of the National Assembly regarding the budget performance report of the Presidential Administration, when Zaruhi Postanjyan asked Vigen Sargsyan about why the President has granted an amnesty to Surik Khachatryan’s relatives, he replied that granting an amnesty is the exclusive power of the President and a result of political decision. He said that the motives for amnesty are not justified and are not explained in any way.
And here’s, in the result of this inexplicable amnesty by the President, only a month after being released from the detention facility, Mayis Khachatryan being drunk when driving caused a 24-year-old young man to appear in the hospital. Now, he is wanted in connection with Zakaryans’ incident.
Hripsime JEBEJYAN
