Marking the second anniversary of the accident, they also demanded that those responsible for the death of the 29-year-old Sona Mnatsakanian be brought to justice.
Mnatsakanian was struck by the police SUV while crossing the street on April 26, 2022. The vehicle did not stop after the collision. Its driver, police Major Aram Navasardian, was twice arrested by investigators but freed by courts despite being charged with reckless driving and negligence.
Navasardian continued to deny the accusations when he went on trial in November 2022. His lawyer, Ruben Baloyan, went farther, blaming Mnatsakanian for her death. The trial is still going on, with around three dozen witnesses cross-examined to date.
Mnatsakanian’s parents have been very critical of the pre-trial criminal investigation into her death, alleging a cover-up. In particular, they have pointed to investigators’ failure to prosecute any members of Pashinian’s security detail.
“We believe that the driver and the chief of the motorcade are to blame,” their lawyer, Raffi Aslanian, told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service on Friday. He also deplored the fact that Navasardian was not even suspended by the police despite being indicted and put on trial.
The victim’s family has also accused the investigators of withholding key evidence relevant to the high-profile case. That includes audio of radio conversations among security personnel that escorted Pashinian that day. Security services told the investigators that they were not recorded due to a technical malfunction.
Also, forensic tests conducted during the probe reportedly found that the police car driven by Navasardian raced through Yerevan at almost 109 kilometers/hour (68 miles/hour), breaching a 100-kilometer/hour speed limit set for government motorcades. The policeman’s lawyer insisted on Friday, however, that he did not drive over that limit.
Pashinian’s limousine and six other cars making up his motorcade drove past the dying woman moments after the accident. The prime minister never publicly commented on her death.