“I have facts at my disposal that certain Police employees who are under the thumb of ‘Flour-Mill Lyovik’s’ gangsters have started to open a case against me. My biggest sin is that I rubbed shoulders with that gang’s whores that day.”

On September 29th, the Police issued a communiqué according to which on the 23rd of the same month, “Yerevan resident M. M. (Marineh Madatyan, born 1983, who, according to news reports is the girl friend of ‘Flour-Mill Lyovik’ as is known as ‘Marish of the Republican Party’ – A.D.), made a report to the Central Police Station stating that on September 20th she traveled to the Yerndjatap village in Aragatzotn Marz to attend a diner party with her acquaintance, Artur Sahakyan, born 1974. There, A. Sahakyan imbibed alcoholic beverages. On the return trip A. Sahakyan veered his ‘Nissan-Tida’ car off the road and attempted to rape her. However, she resisted and later telephoned her friends whilst A. Sahakyan fled the scene in his car.”

Marineh Madatyan, along with her acquaintance Armen Sargsyan, located Artur Sahakyan’s car in Yerevan at the intersection of Sayat-Nova and A. Manukian streets. Behind the wheel at the time was Andranik Babayan. After beating him severely they took Babayan, who was near death, and tossed him into the Adnaklasnik Café where A. Sargsyan proceeded to beat both Abel Mikayelyan and Artur Sahakyan. On the same day a report was received from the hospital that, “A. Babayan was delivered to them in an unconscious state from the Adnaklasnik Café.”

On September 22nd A. Sargsyan, born 1974, turned himself in at the Police Station where he confessed that the day before in the same café he had beat the above-mentioned individuals during an argument. The circumstances of the incident are being verified and a criminal case has been filed.

It remains unclear why Marineh Madatyan waited three whole days before going to the Police with her story. It is also strange why the Police waited nine days after the alleged incident to make their statement, while A. Babayan had already died in hospital, never regaining consciousness. In addition, in their statement the Police violated the ‘innocent until proven guilty’ statute since the full name of the ‘suspect’ was published.

“At first this event didn’t have great significance for us. There are many such public cases of fights and knife attacks and we don’t open files on all. When interest was created and there was public reaction to the incident, we didn’t hide anything and we placed it on our site. The fact that it filed late has nothing to do with A. Babayan’s death.” This is the explanation later given by Sayat Shirinyan, Chief of the Police Department’s Division of Public Information.

“In my opinion, there are enough details available for me to offer some possible scenarios as to the matter – a murder that was pre-planned and with such results that they would direct public opinion against me, so that they can say that he beat and tried to rape our sister. The second theory is that they whisked away and beat their sister so that she too would say things under fear and they came to take revenge. Let me point out that as far as I know court forensics didn’t register any such case. We also are involved with a second criminal act. Let them uncover who beat that girl and why.” declared A. Sahakyan. “I was in Abaran and she (M.M.) as a member of the Republican Party and my acquaintance, was with me… A couple of cars bearing 770-70 numbered license plates came directly at us on the road; they took their girl with them. If I had beaten or raped her they should have said so then.”

During an October 9th press conference Deputy Police Chief Gagik Hambardzumyan stated, “We will take him (A. Sahakyan) to court if attempted rape is substantiated. If not, we will accuse Marineh Madatyan of slander.”

In the words of A. Sahakyan – Instead of the Police investigating who murdered Andranik Babayan they are occupied with filing a case against me. “I went the first day and understood that the Police were involved. Some 60-70 of them entered the Adnaklasnik Café and started to tear the place apart. They asked, where is Artur and said, we’re going to break his head, and we’re going to kill him. I immediately fled out the rear exit and tried to contact the Police because I am one of the founders of that café. At the time there were ordinary customers in the café and a safety issue arose. I rung up the civil administration but they responded 1 to 1 ½ hours later when the gang of thugs had already left.”

According to news reports, that same day ‘Flour-Mill Lyovik’ had threatened the Vice-Chief of Police, Hovhannes Hunanyan, on the telephone not to show up at the café before they had left.

By October 3rd, the following new information had circulated on the Police website. “On September 21st at 1:01 AM the Central Police Division had received an alarm from the Yerevan Municipal Administration that a quarrel had broken out at 49 Khanjyan Street. The operative unit that responded was informed by Abel Mikayelyan, a co-owner of the Adnaklasnik Café that a group of people had entered the store and proceeded to create a ruckus, prevented the business from operating and then beat up both him and his friend, A. Sahakyan, who was taken unconscious to the Saint Gregory the Illuminator medical center. During the initial preparation of the materials it was discovered that the person beaten along with A. Mikayelyan wasn’t A. Sahakyan but their acquaintance, A. Babayan.

On September 23rd the collected materials on the case were dispatched to the Central Division of Investigation where a criminal case was filed the same day.

According to a new communiqué, Armen Sargsyan, who had stated up till then that he had beaten everyone, had now testified that, while he was present in the café at the time, he only cursed from the sidelines and didn’t hit anyone or participate in the melee. In contrast, both Samvel Alikhanyan and Sahak Azizbekyan, who appeared before the Police on September 27th, confessed that they had entered the café along with A. Sargsyan, cursed and proceeded to beat the employees. All have since been arrested.

The Police communiqué states, “In conjunction with the report and testimony of Marineh Madatyan, both Arsen Ghazaryan and Robert Gevorgyan were questioned as well as Artur Sahakyan, the co-owner of the café. They all gave testimony contradicting one another. In order to clarify these contradictions and reveal the truth an extensive process of investigations is underway.”

Deputy Police Chief G. Hambardzumyan has stated, “Regarding the matter at hand, we will also question National Assembly Deputy Levon Khachatryan as to whether there was drinking involved or not. It was at his summer home that the party took place at which the news reporter A. Sahakyan was also in attendance. There will be no investigation regarding Deputy Levon Sargsyan.”

“The testimony provided by Artur Sahakyan does not mention seeing him. If there had been any basis mentioning the name of Levon Sargsyan in this matter he would have surely been summoned and questioned.” the Vice-Chief of Police stated at the press conference.

As to why, during the questioning of Artur Sahakyan as a witness they have, in his words, forgotten ‘Meat Grinder Lyovik”, is anyone’s guess. During the interview mentioned Sahakyan noted that, “he sincerely believes that the President will follow up in this matter.”

This story would have remained unnoticed for the most part if Andranik Babayan, who was an innocent bystander, hadn’t died in hospital. All the parties involved, Artur Sahakyan, the Police, National Assembly Deputies Levon Khachatryan and Levon Sargsyan, were waiting to see whether Andranik would regain consciousness or not. It was only after his death that the parties involved in the incident began to make statements. And one of those parties is the Police, who are supposed to be upholding the law in the country.

On October 1st the criminal case was sent to the Investigative Unit of the Special Case Services. Top-ranking Police officials assure us that an impartial inquiry will take place. However, the contradictory statements made by the Police lead us to believe that an impartial inquiry is out of the question.