National Hero Tiran Khachatryan Arrested
National Hero and former First Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Armenia, Tiran Khachatryan, has been arrested. This was reported by his lawyer Varazdat Harutyunyan.
He is accused in connection with certain episodes of the 44-day war. According to a statement by the Investigative Committee, actions attributed to Khachatryan between October 7 and 17, 2020, allegedly resulted in the failure to defend the army’s positions, disrupted the command system of the troops, and led to the failure of completing assigned combat missions. As a result, the adversary exploited the situation, captured a strategic height without resistance, broke through existing lines, and, in another instance, bypassed Armenian forces to launch an assault, taking control of areas under their defense. Tiran Khachatryan denies the accusations of military negligence during wartime.
Kachatryan’s lawyer emphasized that the statute of limitations for this case is approaching, and Tiran Khachatryan faces no threat of imprisonment under this charge (and regarding this, there is a clear precedent from the Court of Cassation indicating that detention is not applicable), moreover, the statute of limitations for this case is nearing, and regardless, Tiran Khachatryan does not face imprisonment under these charges.
The former deputy chief of the General Staff will serve his detention at the “Vardashen” penitentiary.
Tiran Khachatryan was awarded the title of National Hero during the war in October 2020. However, just months later, in February 2021, he was dismissed from his position. The dismissal followed Prime Minister Pashinyan’s controversial remarks about the “Iskander” missiles. The Prime Minister was claiming they “either did not explode or exploded only 10% of the time.” When asked if it was possible for such a weapon to explode only 10% of the time, Tiran Khachatryan responded, “Of course not… How could it be? The ‘Iskander’? A single shot? Only 10%? Excuse me, but that’s not serious (laughs). One shouldn’t say such things or make such conclusions. It’s not serious to discuss such matters about this weapon over the phone and make shallow evaluations. I don’t know who said what, but that’s impossible.”
Khachatryan was also arrested in early 2024 over a brawl in a restaurant. During the incident, Khachatryan reportedly fired a gun, accidentally injuring one of the restaurant’s visitors who was not involved in the dispute. He was released on bail in March 2024.