Lawyer: ECHR sends Armenian government request regarding complaint by defense of former State Revenue Committee chief

ArmInfo. The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has sent a query to the Armenian government regarding a complaint filed by the defense of arrested former head of the State Revenue Committee (SRC) Gagik Khachatryan. Attorney Yerem Sargsyan told journalists about this on September 10.

The attorney recalled that since September 2, Khachatryan’s defense has been seeking his transfer to a medical facility, but so far without result. "Not only has he not been transferred to a hospital, but there have also been no explanations regarding the actions being taken in relation to Khachatryan.  Our petition to grant his attending physician access to Khachatryan is also being ignored. We have been awaiting a response for about a week. The question arises: what is the reason that they do not want to allow the attending physician to come to the correctional facility himself and examine his patient? There is not a single justification for why this is happening," the attorney noted.

In addition, the attorney noted, the defense also petitioned for basic conveniences to be provided, taking into account Khachatryan’s disability. "Everyone saw how he was transported to court. To this day, he has neither the ability to take a shower nor use the toilet. It is impossible to provide all these conditions in detention. And despite the fact that he was at least provided with a wheelchair, Khachatryan cannot sit in it; he has no such possibility," Sargsyan remarked.

Overall, according to the attorney, they are now facing a serious threat to Khachatryan’s life and health. "It is wrong to remain silent under these circumstances. That is precisely why we previously applied to the ECHR, since we believe that this case shows signs of a violation of Article 3 of the European Convention, which concerns the prohibition of torture, that is, cruel and inhuman treatment. The ECHR has sent the relevant query to the Armenian government. I cannot yet provide any other details at this stage. I can only note that we are currently at the communication stage," Sargsyan said.

In the attorney’s opinion, what is happening is also connected with Gagik Khachatryan’s name. "Names matter in such cases. That is, if Gagik Khachatryan’s first and last name were not involved, I think what is happening would be taken more seriously. But we see how many violations have been committed במסגרת of this process, yet no one has still been punished for this," the attorney concluded.

It should be recalled that by a decision of the Prosecutor General’s Office dated August 29, 2026, the criminal case initiated on June 7, 2026, against the former SRC chairman as part of proceedings examined by the Investigative Committee was amended and supplemented, and a new public criminal prosecution was initiated. Khachatryan was detained on September 1 after law enforcement officers conducted searches in his apartments and those of his son, as well as in the offices and branches of 21 companies affiliated with them.  These actions were carried out as part of criminal proceedings concerning the receipt of bribes on an especially large scale and money laundering on an especially large scale. On September 2, a preventive measure in the form of detention for a period of 2 months was applied to him.

It should be added that on September 1, lawyers for the former head of Armenia’s SRC posted a video showing how ill Khachatryan was literally pulled out of bed and placed on a stretcher to be taken to court.  At the court itself, the former minister was laid on chairs, which the legal team qualified as a continuation of the torture.