Armenia's Investigative Committee accused of covering up investigator misconduct

Allegations have surfaced regarding the abuse of power within Armenia’s Investigative Committee. Reports suggest the committee may be attempting to misuse its authority to cover up misconduct by its own investigators. Specifically, there are claims that the committee intends to detain a police officer who was allegedly tortured by committee members, potentially to prevent him from testifying about the abuse.

According to Daniel Ioannisian, the situation involves an incident where an officer in uniform was reportedly assaulted by Investigative Committee staff at the Yerevan city branch office. The incident allegedly occurred during a meeting with the head of the branch, Rafayel Vardanyan. There are further concerns that the transfer of the case to the Anti-Corruption Committee is being delayed to allow investigators to steer the inquiry in a direction favorable to their colleagues.