Human Rights Defender’s Response to Assault on 16-Year-Old Boy

The Human Rights Defender of Armenia assures that actions have been initiated immediately regarding the assault on a 16-year-old boy in Dilijan. They have contacted the guardianship and custody body, other relevant state bodies, as well as the lawyer involved. This was stated by the Human Rights Defender Anahit Manasyan during a press briefing with journalists.

“Before verbal communication, we conducted verbal communications with these bodies, as we understood that written communication could take longer. We will utilize all the tools at our disposal. In this case, we are talking about a minor, so the information provided and disseminated on this issue should be handled carefully. We are moving forward in this manner. Both meetings and the implementation of other tools that we need to execute will be carried out with an emphasis on confidentiality, considering the child's best interests,” Manasyan noted.

Referring to the criticisms on social media regarding the lack of a statement from the Human Rights Defender about the incident, she emphasized that they have begun actions immediately. She insisted that work is not done through words but through actual activities.

It should be recalled that on June 1, a video surfaced on social media showing how the head of the criminal investigation department of Dilijan assaulted a 16-year-old boy at the Haghartsin hotel complex.

Later, the spokesperson for the Investigative Committee, Gor Abrahamyan, announced that A.G., the individual who assaulted the boy, has cooperated with the prosecutorial body and is not disputing the actions attributed to him, which is considered a minor offense. He met with the victim and apologized, and is also prepared to apologize to the victim's parents, acknowledging that he exhibited inappropriate behavior and requested not to commence public criminal prosecution against him on the grounds of remorse. The prosecutor has accepted this request.

It was later revealed that the head of the criminal investigation department of Dilijan, Arsen Ghaytmazyan, has temporarily had his official powers suspended. A criminal prosecution has been initiated against him by the prosecutor's decision.