Iravaban.net spoke with Vladimir Sarukhanov, advocate for businessman Tigran Khachatryan who is being held in custody in the Russian Federation and member of the Moscow Bar Association. According to him, the entire investigation process has been full of violations.
On July 3, 2024, Khachatryan arrived in Moscow alone and stayed at one of the city’s hotels. Days later, on the night of July 17-18, officers from the Criminal Investigation Department of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs detained him near 28 Tverskaya Street in Moscow. The same day, he was arrested by the investigator handling the case at the Russian Investigative Committee.
“The identification process is also proceeding with major violations. According to Russian legislation, identification must take place under conditions where the stand-ins, among whom the identification is to be performed, should resemble Tigran Khachatryan. We have the video and audio recording of this. However, one of the stand-ins was a person with Slavic appearance, and during the procedures at the Investigative Committee, I learned that the other stand-in was merely a passerby. In other words, one of the secret witnesses saw him while entering the Investigative Committee. Consequently, he chose between a man with Slavic appearance and Khachatryan.”
In addition, according to the advocate, identification in Russia is used in cases where a witness is uncertain about something, but the secret witness claimed to have known Tigran Khachatryan since 2014. This raises a question: if you have known someone for such a long time, why is identification necessary?
“It became clear to us then that under the light of these violations… even the witnesses present during the proceedings, and in our case there were such witnesses during the identification. These witnesses were police employees—either police officers or other employees of investigative bodies. This is the biggest violation. After that, he was transferred to a detention facility.”
Sarukhanov notes that Russian judges are constrained by responsibility. Tigran Khachatryan is accused of preparing a murder, and due to the severity of the charge, judges do not examine the case materials thoroughly. Khachatryan’s daughter’s former husband, Garegin Muradyan, and Aram Muradyan, who have been recognized as victims in the case, have stated that they know nothing about the case. They were called in and told that someone allegedly wants to kill them.
“My client Khachatryan has said exactly that—he has no claims against the victims. They are good acquaintances, former relatives whom he hasn’t seen for 10 years. One of the victims is his daughter’s former husband, whose separation occurred due to family reasons. Their family life didn’t work out. We are now refuting the charge of preparation for murder.”
Sarukhanov insists that under these circumstances, no judge would dare take responsibility for changing Khachatryan’s preventive measure, even with such case materials. The advocate notes that they know the identity of the secret witnesses: one of them is a woman who has fraud charges against her.
“Khachatryan himself was born in 1968, which means he has chronic illnesses. It is difficult for him to be in prison. Although the conditions in the detention facility are acceptable, he is enduring, and nothing threatens him except deterioration of his health condition.”
The advocate also spoke about Khachatryan’s psychological state. Tigran Khachatryan is depressed because he has been in prison for about 9 months on a charge with which, according to his words, he has no connection. One of the secret witnesses is a person whom Khachatryan has known. Sarukhanov also has questions about the motivation of an Armenian citizen giving a statement in Russia, specifically in a particular Moscow department.
“It is clear to us that without good connections in Moscow, that secret witness would not appear at the police station in the northeastern district of the city. They wouldn’t appear in Moscow at all. According to the hierarchy of events, a person receives information about a crime or a crime being prepared and goes to the police station closest to their place of residence.”
Vladimir Sarukhanov is also aware of the existence of a transnational criminal group that is pressuring the Khachatryan family for extortion purposes. According to him, nothing is being hidden, threats are simply being made.
“The mentioned individuals are not in Russia, as far as I know, but I dare to assume that without acquaintance, without patronage, it is very difficult to move such a criminal case from a dead point.”
In a few days, the court will again discuss the extension of Tigran Khachatryan’s preventive measure. Sarukhanov does not place any hope in that hearing, but he does have hopes for the main trial and the jury.
“We will prove that Khachatryan is innocent. The jury will, of course, acquit him. I say once again—with this volume of evidence, if one can call it that, the court cannot render a guilty verdict.”
Parallel to this case, the pressure on Tigran Khachatryan’s family continues. His daughter, Marina, also has no expectations from the upcoming hearing, during which the extension of her father’s detention will be discussed.
Let us remind you that Tigran Khachatryan has been in custody for 9 months now. The entire case is built on the testimony of two secret witnesses who, according to the Khachatryans, were people close to the family and are acting under the direction of a transnational criminal group.
