Military prosecutor won’t resign
RA Military Prosecutor Gevorg Kostanyan says there are no unrevealed crimes in the army and that the fact that the relatives of soldiers who died in peace are discontent is another story.
"The protests have nothing to do with the lack of revelation of crimes. If anyone is discontent, I am ready to meet with them, including in the presence of their lawyers and discuss all circumstances," the military prosecutor told "A1+" today, adding that "this year there are no unrevealed cases connected to incidents that resulted in deaths".
Kostanyan doesn't share the view that the army is a closed system. "That is a matter of the public's perception. The relations between the army and the society are very open and constructive, and that can be seen recently. You can see that the Ministry of Defense constantly provides information about any case," he said.
The military prosecutor also touched upon the statement by Stepan Voskanyan, lawyer of soldier Ashot Koskandaryan who was sentenced for the murder of soldier Aharon Hayrapetyan in one of the military units of Askeran. The lawyer had mentioned that his defendant was innocent and that he had been compelled to testify through assaults.
"If anyone but the lawyer makes such a statement, we view that as grounds for releasing information about a crime or instigating a criminal case. I have assigned to call the person who made that statement, in this case the lawyer and find out from where he received that information. We will examine and see whether it corresponds to reality or not," the military prosecutor said.
The military prosecutor has also assigned to hold a forensic medicine expert examination in relation to the case of Armen Moghrovyan who suddenly died in one of the military units of the NKR Hadrut region recently. "Based on the results of a preliminary body examination, we have the version of a "stroke"," Kostanyan said, adding that the examination was conducted in the presence of the family and said there were traces of an assault.
Like all military prosecutors, Kostanyan also isn't afraid of the danger of the threat of being discredited. "Criticism always helps, if it is constructive. I'm ready to fix any error. If the distrust is solely expressed through statements without any grounds, I'm less interested."
Military prosecutor Gevorg Kostanyan also told "A1+" that he wasn't preparing to resign. "Why should I? Resigning is a political process for specific posts. I don't take part in political processes."
