David Stepanyan, Yerevan. Exclusively to Vestnik Kavkaza
Armenian society has many times witnessed the impunity of representatives of the political elite and people closely connected with it. Nobody doubts in Armenia that the authorities do not rat their own out. Two interviews of the former governor of the Syunik Region, Surik Khachatryan, confirmed it once again.
Litska (the nickname of the former governor) is famous for participation in early June 2013 in a tragic incident which resulted in death of the late mayoral candidate of Goris, Avetik Budagyan, and serious wound of his brother Artak Budagyan, colonel of the Armenian Armed Forces. The fire took place near the governor’s cottage. His 19-year old son Tigran Khachatryan and 25-year old bodyguard Zarzand Nikogosyan were arrested and accused of murder, intended bodily harm and illegal weapons-bearing. However, three months later, on September 7th, they were set free, and criminal investigation was stopped, as investigator Aleksan Kazaryan decided that their behavior was self-defense.
Today the authorities begin to promote Khachatryan through pro-government mass media. In his interview to several media outlets, Litska stated that even though he felt pain about the tragedy, he felt no guilt. “A young man died at our home, but the incident was a result of alcohol,” he noted. The former governor says that he made nothing for the release of his son and bodyguard. Journalists wondered how it was possible that a member of the ruling coalition, the presidential team Khachatryan didn’t use his contacts for rescuing his own son. Litska said that if his son was found guilty of Budagyan’s death, he would be strictly punished.
However, the interview appeared to be interesting after the next statement by Khachatryan. “I didn’t discuss it with President. President discussed the case with the general prosecutor, the head of the police, and investigators. President would never close the case, if he didn’t find out all details. Everybody knows our president,” Litska said. In other words Khachatryan admitted the fact of illegal interference by Serge Sargsyan in the criminal investigation which was held by independent from him structures. Previously, Sargsyan denied his involvement into the case. So, President of the country held his own investigation and decided that the governor-murderer wasn’t guilty of death of one person and serious wound of another person, and then he decided to shut down the case. Nothing was told the society about it. But Litska has a loose tongue.
