Zaven Grigoryan, the accused in the criminal case into the beating of Lieutenant Colonel Ara Mkhitaryan in Yeghegnadzor, Armenia, will meet with Mkhitaryan's relatives only when they know the truth about the case. Grigoryan said this at a meeting with reporters.

"These people are being deceived," he added. "They don't know the reality."

He said he had a lot to tell, but could not speak due to the confidentiality of the investigation.

"When the incident happened, after that people testified against my brother; I was in freedom for 15 days," Zaven Grigoryan said. "It never occurred to me that someone could testify against me because I have nothing to do whatsoever with that incident."

Asked about his connection with former governor of Vayots Dzor Province Trdat Sargsyan, Zaven Grigoryan said they are related but they have no contact.

On March 6, the Criminal Court of Appeal granted the motion to release Zaven Grigoryan, a defendant in the criminal case into the beating of Aram Mkhitaryan.

Grigoryan was released on 1,500,000-dram bail.

Mkhitaryan has been in a coma for about six months.

The Investigative Committee of Armenia had stated that then governor of Vayots Dzor Province Trdat Sargsyan was not an eyewitness to the dispute that took place on September 17 of last year. However, the four military officers who witnessed the incident said that Sargsyan was at the scene and he followed the incident, not preventing it.

Harutyun Grigoryan, an assistant to the now former governor of Vayots Dzor, has been charged along the lines of the aforesaid case. Grigoryan's brother Zaven Grigoryan is also a defendant. One week after the incident, Trdat Sargsyan resigned as Vayots Dzor governor.