A protest was recently organized in front of the Ministry of Interior Affairs by the relatives of the deceased Levon Ghulyan.
The following is stated in the letter of Jemma Ghulyan, who is Levon Ghulyan’s widow, to Prime Minister Serge Sargsyan:
“On the night of May 9 at 3 a.m. the workers of the Shengavit division of the Interior Affairs Ministry arrested her husband Levon Ghulyan, born in 1976, in order to have him testify with regards to the murder of someone by the name of Stepan Vardanyan. They kept him until the night of May 10, after which they released him under the condition that he would return in the morning. This investigation took two days. On May 12 Levon Ghulyan, who had been called to the Ministry of Interior Affairs with the excuse of testifying, was transferred to the Criminal Investigation department of the Ministry of Interior Affairs by the car of someone by the name of Tamanyan who holds a top-ranking office.” On the same day the relatives of Levon Ghulyan had found out that Levon had attempted to escape and died.
Based on the message dispersed by the Public Relations Department of the Police of Armenia, during an interview in one of the offices Ghulyan had asked for water from one of the workers and, taking advantage of the absence of the worker, had tried to escape from the window, but tripped and fell from the second floor. He died from the injuries.
According to Jemma Ghulyan, her husband Levon Ghulyan owned the “Pandok” restaurant in the Shengavit district and the sauna belonging to Stepan Vardanyan was right in front of the restaurant. On May 9 some people got into an argument with Vardanyan, and a huge crowd gathered. During the argument there were curse words heard from both sides, and Ghulyan simply asked those arguing to not bother his restaurant clients. The argument between Vardanyan and the unknown people ended with the murder of Vardanyan. Without a notice and based on accepted procedures, the Shengavit division of the Interior Ministry called Ghulyan to testify, and released him after questioning. Ghulyan told the police that he only knew Stepan Vardanyan and his friend because they lived in the same building, and didn’t know anybody else involved in the argument. Levon was questioned the second time by different bodies, but there was no new testimony and he was released again. On the third day, Levon was transferred from Shengavit to the Criminal Investigation department, and deputy head of the department Hovik Tamanyan began to get involved in the case. Tamanyan had his reasons for involvement. Stepan Vardanyan, who had died from the gunshots, was his friend’s son, and he tried to get information regarding the details of the event from Ghulyan by force. Ghulyan’s uncle, Hovhannes Papazyan, says that the food and cigarettes that he had sent to Levon, who was at the department, did not reach him. During his meeting with Levon, he had noticed that he had different cigarettes, and he had replied negatively when Hovhannes asked him if he had received the cigarettes.
“They didn’t give Levon water for two days at the Shengavit division of the Interior Affairs Ministry. How was it that they went to get water for Levon in the Criminal Investigation department and Levon tried to escape, fell from the second floor and died? They released him after questioning; he could have escaped and not gone to the questioning the second or third time. The waiters and cook of the “Pandok” restaurant were also questioned. The cook was also subjected to the use of force. The people who were called to the investigation were constantly threatened by the name of Hovik Tamanyan. In fact, if Levon had fallen from the window, why did the Police take the corpse to the autopsy without even saying who he was? Nobody at the autopsy knew who the deceased was. They said that the police had brought him and left. There were different kinds of bruises on the body, and it was impossible to have such bruises by falling from the second floor. The man had not thrown himself out the window; he had two children, a family and a job. Even a lunatic doesn’t throw himself from a window; they threw him. Who doesn’t know Hovik Tamanyan? He is a “cannibal”,” says Hovhannes Papazyan.
The relatives still haven’t received the results of the forensic medicine investigation and were told that time is needed for the final conclusion. The relatives had prepared a letter for all the competent bodies of Armenia with the purpose of revealing the motives of the death of Levon Ghulyan in such incomprehensive conditions. It has already been two days that Ghulyan’s relatives have been relying on the mass media to support them and publicize their protest demonstrations and press conferences.