General description of the case

On 10^th of October 2010 Zaruhi Petrosyan died at the "Erebuni" hospital. Zaruhi's relatives assure that 20-year old woman was beaten to death by her husband Yanis Sarkisov.  

As Zaruhi's sister Hasmik says, from the very beginning relations between daughter in law and mother in law were not good. Lilia Sarkisova did not want to accept a girl from orphanage. Difference of the attitude towards Zaruhi and another daughter in law was obvious as the neighbors and friends noticed. They also assert that Zaruhi was regularly beaten at home. 

Contract serviceman of the peacekeeping regiment Yanis Sarkisov is charged by the Article 112.2.14 of the RA Criminal Code (Infliction of willful heavy damage to health if caused the death of the aggrieved by negligence, is punished with imprisonment for the term of 5 to 10 years.

The case is currently under the proceeding of the Ararat and Vayots Dzor Court of First Instance.

Defense lawyer of Yanis Sarkisov Zhora Harutyunyan motioned for the closed hearing and the court disallowed the motion with the reasoning that the interests of justice require public hearing of the case.

Main witnesses of the case are interrogated and the court publicized Yanis Sarkosov's testimony given during the pre-trial investigation.

The Court of Appeal returned the appeal and refused to accept the motion of the defense party to conduct a closed hearing. The hearing on May 10th was postponed the third time because defense party appealed to the Court of Cassation against the refuse of the Court of Appeal to conduct a closed hearing. The Court of Cassation disallowed the motion of the defense party to conduct a closed hearing of the case. The hearing will be public. The trial continues. The next hearing will take place on July 6, at 11 am. 

After the Court of Cassation dismissed the appeal of the defense to hold a closed trial, the trial continued on July 22. On July 22, however, the trial was again postponed since the lawyer of the legal successor of Zaruhi Petrosyan motioned for getting acquainted with the materials discussed during the two previous trials, one of which he missed since he was not duly informed about the trial.

On July 25 the trial continued during which the Deputy Director of Masis Agricultural College Davit Hakobyan - Zaruhi’s lecturer and the neighbor of the Sarkisovs Yeghisabeth Hovsepyan were interrogated. The defense highlighted the version according to which Zaruhi Petrosyan was in love with the lecturer Davit Hakobyan, because of whom she committed suicide.

On the 2nd of August Anahit Hakobyan, the ex-leader of the university class of Yanis and Zaruhi, as well as Armenuhi Ghukasyan, one of the lecturers of Zaruhi and Burastan Vardanyan, the neighbor were interrogated.

Taking into account the facts that the lawyer of Zaruhi’s legal successor presented an appeal for restoring the missed deadlines of the trials, also the fact that the attorney of Yanis Sarkisov Jora Harutyunyan had health problems, as well as Yanis Sarkisov’s decision to give testimony after getting acquainted with the protocols of the previous trials, also the fact of Zaruhi’s sister - legal successor’s child delivery in the coming days, the trail was postponed.

On the 9th of September the neighbor of Zaruhi minor E. gave testimony mentioning that in the recent period Zaruhi had seemed to be sad, and her Granny one day before Zaruhi’s death had seen Yanis dragging Zaruhi, the latter stooping and protecting the area of abdomen.

During the trial the testimonies of two other witnesses were declared, (at that moment the witnesses were abroad), which stated that the witnesses saw Yanis beating his wife. Also the results of the expertise of several proofs were presented during the trial. The motion of the defense of carrying out closed hearings was denied.

During the trial on the 30th of September the experts of the additionally carried out forensic expertise were interrogated, who repeated the data of the previous expertise. “They denied the possibility that Zaruhi Petrosyan could have poisoned herself. They also answered that the injuries on Petrosyan’s body could not have been resulted from falling down the staircase”, said Gor Margaryan - the representative of the legal successor of the victim.

The experts mentioned that the claims of the defense that the blood in the stomach of the victim and the fiber corrosion were both resulted from poison are not univocal. Petrosyan had gastrointestinal tract, which could also give such results. The experts stressed again, that Petrosyan got brain injury from blunt blow, which resulted in acute vital problems. The defense motioned several times to call and interrogate the doctors of Erebuni Medical Center, who operated Zaruhi, however, this motion was denied, since the experts, basically had answered to all questions important for the case.

The defense also motioned for carrying out exhumation which was opposed by the lawyer of the legal successor.

The defense also motioned to carry out legal-psychiatric expertise of Yanis Sarkisov for revealing whether he was in the state of affect when committing the crime or not. However, since Sarkisov denies being guilty, the court didn’t accept this motion.

On the 14th of October the Court of First Instance of Ararat and Vayots Dzor regions (judge Tatul Poghosyan) made a decision of sentencing Yanis Sarkisov to 10 years of imprisonment.

He is accused by the 14th point of 2nd part of the article 112 of the RA Criminal Code, i.e. intentionally causing health damage to Zaruhi Petrosyan (from 6 to 10 years of imprisonment is envisaged). The court convicted Sarkisov with maximum sentence. Sarkisov’s advocate Jora Harutyunyan is going to appeal the verdict at the Appellate Court.

Yanis Sarkisov, who is sentenced to 10 years of imprisonment for killing his wife Zaruhi Petrosyan, has appealed the decision. On the 20th of December the defense continued stating that the defendant didn’t commit murder, which is proved by such facts which were not taken into consideration by the Court of First Instance. Sarkisov’s advocate demands his justification stressing that Zaruhi’s death was suicide resulted by extra marital contact and self-poisoning.

The representative of Zaruhi Petrosyan’s legal successor Gor Margaryan mentioned that the words of poisoning do not correspond to the reality, since the forensic expertise didn’t reveal any poison in the organism of the victim. Sarkisov’s lawyer motioned to postpone the court trial for getting acquainted with the objections of the other side in written form. The court satisfied the motion and the trial was postponed until December 27, 14.00.