Human rights activist: Kutoyan`s death deprived society of details  about the state capture process

ArmInfo. The death of the former director of the National Security Service of Armenia, Georgi Kutoyan, deprived our society of another opportunity to receive detailed information about the state capture process that took place  during the years of his tenure. A similar opinion was expressed to  ArmInfo by the Head of the Helsinki Citizens' Assembly (HCA) Vanadzor  Office, human rights activist Artur Sakunts.

The body of former NSS director Georgi Kutoyan with traces of a  gunshot wound was discovered by his wife on January 17 in a house at  Paruyr Sevak Steet in Yerevan. The criminal case was instituted under  Article 110 of the RA Criminal Code (Bringing to Suicide). 

Prosecutor General of Armenia Artur Davtyan, who was present at the  funeral for Kutoyan on the evening of January 19, told reporters that  the data obtained by the investigation indicate suicide. Noting that  a criminal case was instituted on the grounds of committing suicide,  the Prosecutor General said that in any case, all versions  characteristic of any fatal case would be checked. "It is obvious  that Kutoyan was not the only one who had this information. However,  it was he who worked as the Deputy Prosecutor General, Assistant to  the President of Armenia, headed the NSS during the period  characterized as the period of state capture. The deceased, of  course, had information about the governance of state during this  period, which the society is practically not aware of, " the human  rights activist noted.

In this light, Sakunts considers it very important to understand who  benefited from the death of the former director of the NSS. The human  rights activist is convinced that the current Armenian authorities  were clearly not interested in Kutoyan's death. According to him, the  death of Kutoyan and the preceding death of all high-ranking  officials is aimed at concealing larger crimes. Accordingly, behind  all these killings there are forces interested in not disseminating  information about these crimes.

To recall, last fall, under the same circumstances, the former head  of the Armenian Police Hayk Harutyunyan was found dead, after which  the former head of the Yerevan Police Ashot Karapetyan died in a gas  explosion in Russia.

"The deaths of the key figures of the previous regime involved in  serious crimes against Armenia and its citizens, aware of these  crimes, can in no way be an accident. At the same time, this  indicates the insufficient efforts of the current government to curb  such crimes. This means that further delay of reforms in the judicial  sector and relevant agencies is becoming a challenge to national  security, "the human rights activist concluded.  To note, in the room  where Kutoyan's body was discovered, dozens of bullets and shells  were found, and damage to the walls. At the scene of the incident, an  award-winning Glock pistol was discovered, obtained earlier by  Kutoyan from the leadership of the Georgian Security Service. The  forensic report will be received on January 18. Kutoyan served as  director of the NSS from 2016 to 2018.