Witnesses and Experts Have Disappeared (or Died): Arayik Papikyan

Lawyer Arayik Papikyan wrote on his Facebook page: “The criminal cases of soldiers have been investigated in such a way that even in the event of stars falling from the sky, revealing the truth is nearly impossible. Perhaps the solution lies in self-confessing testimonies from those responsible about how they concealed and distorted the truth. Not only have material evidence (items, documents, samples) been eliminated or destroyed, but witnesses and experts have also disappeared (or died). Under each page of Arthur Ghazaryan's case, there is deceit and falsification, impunity and disregard, sloppiness and indifference. For over 8 months, together with Irina Ghazaryan, we have been trying to cleanse the dirt accumulated over 8 years, so far in vain. There is no doubt that sooner or later we will completely clean the dirt.”

It is worth recalling that the government of Armenia recently issued a statement indicating: “In the near future, five high-profile criminal cases concerning the deaths of servicemen in peaceful conditions will be reviewed. The Investigative Committee has signed an agreement with 10 human rights organizations.”