Mataghis case almost closed
Mataghis case, heard in different courts in Armenia for many years, is approaching denouement. The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) will issue the verdict of the defense on March 17.
“We hope that justice will finally be restored. I also want to note that we are ready to fight for 11 years to achieve justice for all those other cases receiving injustice in Armenia now,” said ECHR lawyer’s heir, member of Armenian Chamber of Advocates, lawyer Hayk Alumyan during an interview with Panorama.am.
It should be noted, that the three citizens of Armenia, Arayik Zalyan (now a lawyer), Razmik Sargsyan, and Musa Serobyan, soldiers of one of the military units of Mataghis, were charged for murdering fellow soldiers Hovsep Mkrtumyan and Roman Yeghiazaryan.
Syunik General Jurisdiction Court sentenced these men to 15 years of imprisonment on May 13, 2005 for the murder of their fellow soldiers.
Only 4.5 years later in December, the Court of General Jurisdiction of Shirak region found Arayik Zalyan, Musa Serobyan and Razmik Sargsyan not guilty in the murders of the two men. The case went into a separate investigation.
Lawyers who applied to the ECHR asking to recognize the violations of Article 3 (Prohibition of torture) and Article 5 (Right to liberty and security) of European Convention on Human Rights. Hayk Alumyan replaced the lawyers of Arayik Zalyan, Musa Serobyan and Razmik Sargsyan.
“Violence and incomplete investigation on violence took place. Our colleagues of defense were constantly alerting that such violence has been inflected on the boys and no investigation was carried out. Moreover, everything possible has been done to hide the facts,” said Hayk Alumyan.
The lawyer hopes that the case will receive a “fair solution” in the ECHR.