The Coordinating Council of Prosecutors General of the CIS member states redirected inquiry of Armenian Prosecutor General Aghvan Hovsepyan to Azerbaijan, says the letter received by Armenian prosecutor’s office.

Earlier Armenia’s Prosecutor General Aghvan Hovsepyan sent a letter to his Russian counterpart Yuri Chaika requesting assistance in Manvel Saribekyan’s case.

It was also mentioned that Hovsepyan sent a letter to the Azerbaijani Prosecutor General Zakir Garalov asking for assistance in the investigation into the violent death of Manvel Saribekyan, namely, to announce whether the investigating authorities conducted an investigation into Azerbaijan’s violent death of Saribekyan. In case of positive answer, he asked for copies of the criminal case or criminal case materials.

Armenian Prosecutor General’s Office also guaranteed that the results obtained from Azerbaijan will only be used for the investigation.

The Coordinating Council offered the Azerbaijani side to consider the request and report the results to the Coordinating Council and the Prosecutor General of Armenia in a short period of time, Sona Truzyan, spokesperson for Armenian Prosecutor General, told Armenian News-NEWS.am.

The letter was sent back in May but the Armenian side has not received any response from the Prosecutor General of Azerbaijan so far.

Manvel Saribekyan, resident of Ttu Jur village of Armenia, was taken into Azerbaijan’s captivity last September. Saribekyan was a civilian, a shepherd, while Azerbaijan persistently called him an Armenian saboteur. Later it was reported he allegedly hang himself on October 5. The Armenian side claims he was either killed or forced to commit a suicide. It was proved by the fact that the Azerbaijani side refused to return his body for a month. On November 4, Azerbaijan handed his body to the Armenian side under agreement reached by Armenian, Azerbaijani and Russian leaders during their meeting in Astrakhan last October.

Criminal proceedings were instituted under Article 104 of RA Criminal Code (murder committed with extreme cruelty due to national, racial or religious hatred or religious fanaticism).

Results of forensic examination revealed death of Manvel Saribekyan was caused by mechanical asphyxia by compression of the neck which means he hanged himself or was hanged. Signs of torture and violence, inflicted 1-2 days before his death, were found on his body.