The Anti-Corruption Court has granted an investigator’s motion to detain Gagik Khachatryan, former chairman of Armenia’s State Revenue Committee and former finance minister, for two months. The Investigative Committee announced the decision, according to 1Lurer.am.
The Human Rights Defender’s Office has begun examining videos circulated online showing masked National Security Service officers taking Gagik Khachatryan to court on a stretcher, Factor.am reports.
“After examining the circumstances related to the matter, including obtaining official explanations from the competent authorities, it will be possible to speak about the position of the Human Rights Defender’s Office,” the office said.
An implant placed in former Armenian Finance Minister Gagik Khachatryan’s spine has shifted, causing acute pain, his lawyer Yerem Sargsyan said outside the courthouse, according to Sputnik Armenia.
“He is able to move independently, but when his condition worsens, it becomes extremely painful. He has an implant in his spine that has shifted, and any movement causes acute pain. His condition has gradually deteriorated, and in addition to his underlying illness, he has tears in his shoulder joints, and all of this requires surgical intervention,” Sargsyan said.
Sargsyan also addressed Khachatryan’s transfer to court on a stretcher, noting that this was already the third such incident. According to him, the videos released previously and those published today were nearly identical in substance.
“In June, they came to Gagik Khachatryan in exactly the same way, lifted him from his bed using a sheet, took him to the investigative body, kept him there in exactly the same manner and in the same position, and then brought him to court for detention. The court rejected the motion and wrote in its ruling that detaining him in such a condition could contain elements of torture. He was supposed to be released from custody that same day, but that did not happen. They brought a new charge against him — whatever they want and whenever they want — and again brought him to court on a stretcher. The second judge also rejected the detention motion and noted that keeping a person in such a condition in custody could amount to torture,” Sargsyan stressed.
