Who is pressuring the eyewitnesses?
RA Prosecutor General Aghvan Hovsepyan received Co-rapporteurs of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe John Prescott and Georges Colombier.
During the meeting the sides discussed the investigation into the violations registered during the May 31 elections for Yerevan's Council of Elders and issues relating to results of the preliminary investigation of the case brought up for mass disturbances that took place in Yerevan on March 1-2, 2008.
Touching upon the process of the preliminary investigation of the case of mass disturbances, the RA Prosecutor General went into detail about the circumstances and the difficulties in certain expert examinations. The Prosecutor General informed that prosecutors have held talks with experts from the U.S., Great Britain and Russia for clarifying issues relating to circumstances for the 10 reported deaths, especially the issue concerning similarities between the special devices, yet all experts said that the bullets of the special devices could not be similar.
The company producing the special devices and bullets also came to such a conclusion and investigation is still in progress.
During the meeting the sides also touched upon issues relating to application of the possible amnesty for those deprived of their liberty for organizing and participating in mass disturbances on March 1-2. The RA Prosecutor General mentioend that possible amnesty will refer to many people who were sentenced to prison for committing the mentioned actions.
Touching upon the statements made by some eyewitnesses, according to which they were under the influence of strange methods of examining the testimonies made during the preliminary investigation, the RA Prosecutor General informed that they had all been subject to examination.
It was also mentioned that out of the five criminal cases against 6 individuals, nearly 80 eyewitnesses had gone through inquiry and six of them had declared that their testimonies were taken by force during the preliminary investigation. In addition, nearly 10 eyewitnesses have appealed to courts with the request for precautionary measures because they are under pressure by relatives and supporters of the prisoners to deny the testimonies given during the preliminary investigation.
At the request of the Co-rapporteurs, the RA Prosecutor General touched upon the elections for Council of Elders and informed that the RA Special Investigative Service is currently examining 8 cases based on alarms of electoral fraud of which two have already been sent to court, as reported by the press service of the RA Prosecutor General's Office.
