Khachak Tovmasyan, a resident of Hrazdan, has stated that police officers subjected him to severe violence. According to him, on September 11, on the Hrazdan-Hankavan highway near Aghavnadzor village, about 10-15 police officers in 7-8 vehicles blocked his car, pulled him out, threw him to the ground and beat him.
“They were pressing my head down so that I wouldn’t see their faces and were constantly punching me in the head,” Tovmasyan said, noting at the same time that among the attackers there are people he would recognize if he saw them.
He claims that after the beating he was dragged in handcuffs to the Hrazdan police station, as a result of which his arms and knees were scraped. After being held at the station for about 6 hours, he was taken to the Hrazdan investigative unit, where investigator Monika saw the injuries, but, according to the citizen, paid no attention to them and did not ask questions about them. In the case within which Tovmasyan was brought before the investigator, he had the status of a witness.
“My concern is that they will delete the cameras of that police station. They will delete how they dragged me along, with the blood not wiped off me,” he warns.
According to Tovmasyan, the incident was preceded by a call from an operational police officer, who summoned him to the station based on his wife’s complaint. Since he was in Yerevan, he asked to appear the next day. On the day of the incident, according to him, he voluntarily came to the station, called the officer and informed him of his readiness to appear, but the policeman told him to wait for his call. Just 40 minutes later, the attack took place.
The citizen notes that this is not the first time violence has been used against him, but it is the first time he is speaking out about it. According to him, at the investigative unit the investigator suggested talking about his relationship with his wife, but Tovmasyan refused to give testimony. He also stated that the investigative action was recorded by a camera, it lasted from 30 seconds to 1 minute, and the video records his injuries.
This case stands out not only for the description of violence, but also for the circumstance that the citizen speaks about the possible deletion of camera recordings. If such a concern is justified, then the preservation of evidence becomes the most important issue.
It is also noteworthy that Tovmasyan has the status of a witness in the case, while the investigator, according to him, despite seeing the injuries, did not ask about them. This may indicate both negligence and a more serious problem, but in order to give a final assessment, the explanations of the police and the Investigative Committee must also be heard.
So far, only one side’s story is known, and that is precisely why it is important that the process be transparent, with all videos and medical documents preserved.
