The Murder of 'Thief in Law' Andranik Harutyunyan Revealed

On July 2, 2019, in the yard of building 17 on Mikoyan Street in the 5th district of Nor Nork, Yerevan, the murder of Andranik Harutyunyan, born on March 20, 1973, who was identified as a "thief in law," was reported. On July 3, 2019, a criminal case was initiated by the Investigative Committee of Armenia under Article 104, Part 1, and Article 235, Part 1 of the Criminal Code.

The Prosecutor's Office of Armenia reported that investigative findings revealed that the murder was carried out by a citizen identified as S.M., born on November 13, 1987, who was registered in the village of Alkhan-Kala in the Chechen Republic of Russia. S.M. arrived in Armenia on June 25, 2019, via Zvartnots International Airport and left the country on July 3, 2019.

It was determined during the investigation that A.G., a resident of Yerevan, assisted S.M. in the murder of Andranik Harutyunyan. Based on sufficient factual data obtained during the pre-investigation, a decision was made on August 21, 2019, to involve S.M. as a defendant under Article 104, Part 2, Clause 8 and Article 235, Part 1 of the Criminal Code, and he was remanded in custody with a warrant issued for his arrest.

On August 23, 2019, the investigation authorities involved A.G. as a defendant and charged him under Article 38-104, Part 2, Clause 8 of the Criminal Code, also applying remand in custody as a preventive measure against him.

On June 2, 2020, the case against A.G. was separated and the preliminary investigation regarding his part was announced as completed. The prosecutor supervising the legality of the criminal investigation approved the indictment and on June 8, 2020, sent the criminal case to the court of general jurisdiction in Yerevan for substantive examination.