At nights of May 4, 2018, an unknown person committed a cruel act against the mother of 20-year-old soldier Arthur Gasparyan, who had died at the military base. After that, the soldier’s mother, Marine Gasparyan, felt as if she experienced her son’s death for the second time. She has opened the “Odnoklassniki” social network and saw that someone had opened a page with her son’s picture and had written her a letter. “Hello, dear mom, how are you?” Under the lines – a sticker of kiss.
The mother was shocked and could not read the entire letter. “I could only read a few words, “I am going to go to your son’s grave…” and an ugly threat was followed. I shouted; the phone fell out of my hand. How strongly did they hate my child that they took his life and still did not rest? It means that there is someone supporting them and they are sure that they will not be judged if they did such things,” said the indignant woman.
She could not speak for a long time, tears were running.
The mother received the threats on March 31, 2019. Marine Gasparyan informed the investigators. She was told that the page had already been deleted and they could not reveal who opened it.
“They tried to threaten the mother through the social network. “We have a well-founded suspicion that the threats were coming from the killer,” Khanum Mkrtchyan, a lawyer representing the victim’s legal successor, told Forrights.am. “The investigator says that it has been a long time since he sent a request to the headquarters of the Odnoklassniki network and has not yet received a response.”
Khanum Mkrtchyan thinks that the threats are connected to the fact that Gasparyan’s mother, Marine Gasparyan, often calls the investigators dealing with the case and inquires about the discovery of her son’s murder.
Private Artur Gasparyan received a fatal wound in his mouth that was caused by two shots. From the very beginning, the preliminary investigation body examined the case on the grounds of instigating suicide, according to Article 110 of the RA Criminal Code.
“This does not mean that suicide is an established version, rather 50/50,” investigators told to Gasparyan’s relatives.
A few days later, after Gasparyan’s parents, among other parents of victims, met with the RA Prime Minister, the Investigative Committee reported that the head of the combat position had been charged under Article 365, Part 1 of the RA Criminal Code for violating the rules of combat duty. The penitentiary reported that there was evidence of insulting Private Artur Gasparyan in an indecent manner.
The complex examination of the case was incomplete. There were tears on the clothes of the deceased, but the clothes were not examined. The investigator had noted that no traces of a product connected with shooting were found on the body parts of the six servicemen of the base. “However, according to seven expert conclusions, traces of copper were found on the faces and hands of all the soldiers of the base, which appear after the shooting. This means that they were at the scene at the time of the shooting,” Khanum Mkrtchyan assures.
No one has been arrested or detained in connection with the case. Among the soldiers mentioned by the lawyer, the senior of the position B. S. and S. D. were the ones who, according to the investigators, found Arthur Gasparyan’s body in the observation post.
“I mean, they didn’t witness it, they just found the body, but they had a lot of traces on them.”
Khanum Mkrtchyan submitted 4 motions to the investigative body to appoint a number of additional examinations, which were considered well-founded and were satisfied.
“We are told there was no reason to arrest them. Tell us who to turn to, if you can’t reveal the murder, who should we turn to? If my child’s case is not opened [revealed], if those six people who were with my child were not tried, I will sue the investigator. There were only 6 people. Can’t you figure out from those six people? If so, why are you working? They made me a person living with loathing. I do not care if it will be Nikol [the Prime Minister of Armenia], the Constitution, whoever-whatever; I just need someone to stand up and give me an answer, why did they kill my son?” Marine Gasparyan says.
Syuzan Simonyan