For more than 8 months, RA citizen and businessman Tigran Khachatryan has been detained in the Russian Federation without any evidence. In criminal case No. 12402450016000096, Tigran Khachatryan has been charged with preparing the murder of his daughter Marina Khachatryan’s former husband Garegin Muradyan and his father Aram Muradyan.
Facts of the Case
On July 3, 2024, Tigran Khachatryan arrived in Moscow and stayed at one of the city’s hotels. On the night of July 17-18, officers from the Criminal Investigation Department of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs took him into custody and arrested him the same day.
Several significant contradictions have been revealed during the investigation of the case.
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- Absence of Evidence: The criminal case is entirely based on the testimonies of two “secret” witnesses whose identities are known to the Khachatryan family. During more than 8 months of detention, the Russian investigator has not presented any audio recordings, videos, or other objective evidence to Tigran Khachatryan, his defenders, or the court that imposed the detention.
- Logical Inconsistencies: According to the criminal case, Tigran Khachatryan allegedly had criminal intent in Yerevan and for this purpose involved another person. However, as Marina Khachatryan states, she divorced her former husband 10 years ago, has had no contact during this time, and there has been no conflict that could have served as a motive.
- Extraordinary Procedural Decisions: The secret witness, allegedly receiving the murder order in Yerevan, instead of approaching Armenian law enforcement, traveled to the Russian Federation and reported it there. Additionally, according to the charges, from December 2023 to July 17, 2024, operational measures were implemented against Tigran Khachatryan, but during this time no objective evidence was collected.
Illegal Identification and Procedural Violations
According to Vladimir Sarukhanov, a member of the Moscow Bar Association, the entire investigation process has been full of violations. The identification process was conducted with particularly significant violations.
“According to RF legislation, identification should take place under conditions where the lineup participants, among whom identification is to be performed, should resemble Tigran Khachatryan,” notes the lawyer. However, as seen in the video recording, one of the participants was a person with Slavic appearance, and the other was merely a random passerby.
Moreover, in the RF, identification is used in cases where a witness is uncertain about something, yet the secret witness claimed to have known Tigran Khachatryan since 2014. “If you have known someone for so long, why is identification necessary?” the lawyer questions.
A serious procedural violation was also the fact that the witnesses during identification were police officers or other representatives of investigative bodies.
Direct Threats from Law Enforcement Agencies
“When my father was taken to the detention center, two operative officers entered his cell and directly threatened: ‘You will get twenty years, go to the Urals or Siberia, and your trace will never be found.’ This was explicit pressure and a threat from law enforcement agencies to facilitate the extortion process” – reports Tigran Khachatryan’s daughter, Marina Khachatryan.
Well-founded Suspicions Regarding the Interests of “Secret” Witnesses
The lawyer is aware of the identities of the secret witnesses: one of them is a woman against whom fraud-related charges have been brought. Sarukhanov also raised questions about the motivation of an RA citizen to file a report in the RF, in a specific department in Moscow.
“It is clear to us that in Moscow without good connections, this secret witness would not have appeared at the police station in the northeastern district of the city. Would not have appeared in Moscow at all,” the defender emphasizes.
Continuing Pressure on the Khachatryan Family
Vladimir Sarukhanov is also aware of the existence of a transnational criminal group that is putting pressure on the Khachatryan family for the purpose of extortion. “The individuals in question are not in Russia, as far as I know, but I dare to suggest that without connections, without patronage, such a criminal case is very difficult to move forward,” notes the lawyer.
Obviously Unfounded Accusations
Tigran Khachatryan is accused of preparing a murder, but Garegin Muradyan, the former husband of Khachatryan’s daughter, and Aram Muradyan, who are recognized as victims in the case, have stated that they do not understand anything about the case.
“My client Khachatryan has stated exactly that: he has no claims against the victims. They are good acquaintances, former relatives whom he has not seen for 10 years. One of the victims is his daughter’s former husband, with whom the divorce occurred for family reasons,” Sarukhanov explains.
The Lawyer’s Forward-looking Assessment
Sarukhanov has serious hopes for the main trial and the jury. “We will prove that Khachatryan is innocent. The jurors will, of course, acquit him. I say again: with this volume of evidence, if one can put it that way, the court cannot issue a guilty verdict,” the defender asserts.
Tigran Khachatryan’s Defense Team expresses solidarity with the lawyer’s position and again demands:
- From the competent authorities of the Republic of Armenia
- to strengthen diplomatic efforts in protecting the RA citizen,
- to intensify interagency cooperation with RF law enforcement agencies to ensure an objective investigation of the case,
- to expedite the investigation of the extortion case in the RA.
- From the competent authorities of the Russian Federation
- to take into account the substantial violations recorded during the investigation of the case,
- to ensure the protection of international legal norms and the rights of the RA citizen during the trial.
About Tigran Khachatryan’s Defense Team
The defense team was formed for the purpose of publicizing Tigran Khachatryan’s criminal cases No. 12402450016000096 initiated in the Russian Federation and No. 15-0756-24 initiated in the Republic of Armenia, protecting his rights, and restoring justice. The team’s mission is to achieve the final declaration of Tigran Khachatryan’s innocence and the accountability of those guilty in the case, as well as to uncover criminal case No. 15-0756-24 initiated based on the fact of the crime committed in the Republic of Armenia. The defense team includes Tigran Khachatryan’s family members, close friends, lawyers, experts in the legal and security fields, as well as representatives of the public.
Tigran Khachatryan’s Defense Team
21.04.2025