YEREVAN. – The public activists sent a letter to Armenia’s Attorney General Aghvan Hovsepyan and requested that Ruling Republican Party influential MP Ruben Hayrapetyan be involved as a suspect on case of Harsnakar restaurant, owned by Hayrapetyan, where military doctor was beaten to death by restaurant security staff.

“We are writing you on notorious Harsnakar criminal case. As a result of brutal fight in Harsnakar, high-ranking military doctor Vahe Avetyan died in hospital on June 29. 

Though a criminal case has been filed, people do believe that the order of lynching [the doctor] has been given by Ruling Republican Party former MP Ruben Hayrapetyan. Two weeks have passed but the option of involving Ruben Hayrapetyan as a suspect has not been considered. Moreover, the victims insist that up to 15 were involved in the fight, while only six have been detained

Considering that the constitutional function of the Prosecution of the Republic of Armenia is to protect public interests, we request that you involve Ruben Hayrapetyan as a suspect in the criminal case of Harsnakar and later arrest him. In his previous press conferences he called for violence for many times and announced that he punished people by beating them. This provides enough ground for us to think that he is absolutely capable to give such an order. Beside this, he found himself guilty when withdrew the MP mandate on Tuesday.  

We request that you transfer the criminal case from the jurisdiction of the Police to the jurisdiction of Special Investigation Service, as from the very beginning some senior Police officials, without having the conclusion of police investigation, have announced that Ruben Hayrapetyan was innocent. According to rumors, he is the relative of Yerevan Police Chief Nersik Nazaryan.  

We request that you take certain steps and make a decision on not allowing the former MP to escape from Armenia. But if he does, the whole responsibility will lay on you.   

This criminal case will come to show whether the Prosecution acts in compliance with its constitutional functions and protects the rights and interests of society in general or it solely protects the criminal and oligarchic interests of a very small privileged class of society. Otherwise, we will have to ensure the rule of law and jurisdiction ourselves based on our rights and constitutional functions,” the letter reads.