On May 12, 2007 Levon Gulyan was called to the Shengavit district Police
Department to testify as a witness, later he was taken to the RA Police
Headquarters. According to the version of the Police, Levon Gulyan tried to
escape the building, threw himself from the second floor and died. Levon
Gulyan’s relatives insist that Levon’s death is a consequence of torture
executed by the police. Several high-ranked officials are somehow involved in
this case. The preliminary investigations of the criminal case on the death of
Levon Gulyan took about one year. The case received wide public attention. Levon
Gulyan’s case first was examined by the Prosecutor’s office, then by the Special
Investigation Service and on March 12, 2008 it was suspended due to lack of
crime evidence. On March 26, 2008, the Prosecutor’s office refused application
of legal representatives of Gulyan to restart investigation of the case. The
First Instance Court of Yerevan Kentron and Nork-Marash district (Judge Gagik
Avetisyan) on June 6, 2008 made a decision to satisfy the petition of Gulyan’s
legal representatives and restart the investigation of the case.



On July 11, 2008, the Criminal Court of Appeals (Judge Manoushak Petrosyan)
reinforced the decision of the First Instance Court of Kentron and Nork-Marash
District, refusing the protest of the Prosecutor’s office. The decision on
closure of the criminal case on Levon Gulyan’s death was found groundless and
illegal. Investigation on the mentioned criminal case restarted on August 16,
2008.



In the courts’ decisions it was mentioned that the preliminary investigation was
not multi-sided, complete and objective, and during the investigation law was
violated many times, necessary measures on obtaining the truth were not
undertaken, participation of legal representatives of the victim in the
investigation process was not provided, as well as no appropriate assessment of
illegal actions of several police officers was conducted.



After two months of restart of the investigation there is still no progress:
other versions of Gulyan’s death reasons are still neglected, only two persons-
two policemen- were interrogated, no test with use of a mannequin was executed,
nobody was charged as suspect or accused, and no one received any accusation.
During the last month not any investigative or procedural action was taken, at
least no such action is known to the legal representatives of the victim.



Thus, it can be concluded that the RA Special Investigation Service does not
implement the court decision.



Michael Aramyan,

Against Violation of Law NGO

Michael Baghdasaryan,

Collaboration for Democracy Centre NGO

Avetik Ishkhanyan,

Helsinki Committee of Armenia NGO

Artur Sakunts,

Helsinki Citizens' Assembly, Vanadzor NGO

Artak Kirakosyan,

Civil Society Institute NGO