Refusal to investigate Tigran Ulubabyan's torture fits into practice of Armenia IC

The Investigating Committee (IC) of Armenia has found no grounds for initiating a criminal case against law enforcers after a statement made by Tigran Ulubabyan, a refugee from Nagorno-Karabakh, at a police station. Out of hundreds of reports of torture by law enforcers in Armenia, only a few are being investigated, human rights defenders have noted.

The employees of the Armenian IC came to the conclusion that "there are no grounds for initiating a criminal case on the beating of Tigran Ulubabyan up by policemen," Arthur Pogosyan, the IC head, stated when answering the question put by Garnik Danielyan, an MP and the head of the “Armenia” faction, at the parliamentary session on May 12, which was broadcast live.

Mr Pogosyan has stated that the policemen involved had been identified; and the IC employees had organized confrontations. "However, contradictions in the parties’ testimonies, and the fact that the forensic examination fixed no bodily injuries or traumas, and provided no minimum threshold (of grounds) for initiating a criminal case," he has explained. At the same time, Tigran Pogosyan has noted that "investigators are awaiting the results of the additional appointed examinations."

In his turn, Roman Eritsyan, an advocate, told the "Caucasian Knot" that investigators had clear grounds for arresting the law enforcers, but the petition was rejected; and now "it’s practically impossible to clarify the essential circumstances." "I've found no objective investigation, which they first started talking about after the protests," Mr Eritsyan said, adding that torture cases against law enforcers in Armenia often remain "dead." Tigran Ulubabyan himself has refrained from commenting on Pogosyan's statement.

Human rights defenders had initially expected that there would be attempts to obstruct a proper inquiry into the Ulubabyan case; and it was also expected that the perpetrators would not be held accountable, Gegam Stepanyan, Ombudsperson of Nagorno-Karabakh, said in his comment on the statements of the IC head made at the above parliamentary session.

"It is not surprising for us that the Armenian IC sees no grounds for initiating a case, and the facts and arguments presented by the advocate were ignored. It is obvious that the rights of residents of Armenia who were subjected to violence by law enforcers are grossly violated," Mr Stepanyan told the "Caucasian Knot".

He has recalled that the data of the IC itself, posted by Armenian media, indicate a systemic disregard for the investigation of such cases: there are many reports received about torture of citizens by law enforcers, but the number of investigations and punishments handed down is small. Thus, in 2022, a total of 210 reports of torture committed by law enforcers were received from citizens, in 2023 there were 261, in 2024 – 330 such reports, and in the first months of 2025 – about 60 of them. Out of hundreds of cases, only a few reach the court: in 2024, only in eight cases out of 330 investigators admitted that torture was used.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on May 14, 2025 at 12:44 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.