Truck owner regularly changes his testimony
The investigative body has requested a Yerevan court to extend for another two months the custodial term of Khachatur Gichyan, the man whose truck was used by the Sasna Dzrer armed group during the takeover of a police building in Yerevan’s Erebuni district on July 17. Gichyan’s lawyer Tigran Sargsyan told A1+ that the court sitting is scheduled for Sept. 9 at the Court of General Jurisdiction of Yerevan’s Arabkir and Kanaker-Zeytun administrative districts. The lawyer sees no grounds for keeping his client in custody. “A person is kept in custody if there are reasons to believe that he/she may avoid appearing in court, eliminate evidence, exert illegal pressure on witnesses, avoid responsibility or may not have a permanent place of abode. My client has a permanent place of residence and has no reasons to avoid responsibility. He has not been convicted in the past and does not have criminal record,” said Tigran Sargsyan. Khachatur Gichyan, 69, is a citizen of Georgia. “ Gichyan is accused of capturing buildings and structures, as well as illegal possession and transportation of weapons. He was arrested for two months on charges of helping the Sasna Dzrer armed group in capturing the building of the Armenian police patrol-and-guard regiment. After his arrest, the National Security Service issued a statement claiming that Gichyan said in his testimony that members of the Sasna Dzrer group threatened him to take revenge on his family members if he refused to give his truck. The lawyer says Gichyan regularly changes his testimony, without mentioning details.
