Body of Detained Individual Found Hanging

On August 28, 2019, at 7:30 AM, the body of Arthur Sargsyan Sayuntsi, a resident of Goris born in 1988, was discovered hanging from the bars of a window in his prison cell at the RA Ministry of Justice "Goris" Penitentiary Institution. He was a defendant in a criminal case being heard in the General Jurisdiction Court of Syunik Province.

Sargsyan was detained on March 29, 2019, and had been held in solitary confinement since July 3, 2019, at his request. He faced charges under Article 38-267.1(4) and Article 34-268(3) of the RA Criminal Code for organizing the smuggling of approximately 200 grams of opium from the Islamic Republic of Iran and attempting to acquire narcotics.

To clarify the circumstances surrounding the incident, a criminal case has been initiated at the RA Investigative Committee's Syunik Regional Investigative Department, and a preliminary investigation is underway.