38-year-old Georgi Kutoyan, the former head of Armenia’s National Security Service (NSS), was found dead with a temple gunshot wound in his Yerevan apartment on 17 January.
Before being appointed as the director of the NSS in 2016, Kutoyan had worked in former President Serzh Sargsyan’s administration. He was dismissed in 2018 by the new Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan after Sargsyan’s resignation.
General prosecutor Artur Davtyan said that no signs of struggle or violence were found despite evidence of dozens of fired shots in the apartment, with bullets and shells scattered around. A criminal investigation has been opened to determine possible incitement.
Both Sargsyan and Pashinyan have issued statements mourning the Kutoyan’s death. The Prime Minister has also vowed to get to the bottom of the case. Kutoyan’s funeral was attended by Sargsyan, his former colleagues, and Eduard Martirosyan, the new acting director of the NSS.
Kutoyan is the second ex-security official to have lost his life to gunshot wounds in the past four months. In September, former chief of police Hayk Harutyunyan was also found dead at his country house. Harutyunyan’s death was also ruled as a suicide.
Recent data reveals that 88 cases of suicide have been reported in the Armenian army between 2010 and 2019. These, along with recent events, have prompted Armenian MPs to propose a bill aimed at restricting non-regulatory relations between servicemen of the Armed Forces.
According to the proposed bill, servicemen found guilty of inciting suicide shall be imprisoned as follows: if the culprit has been found guilty of threatening, using force, showing brutality or degrading the dignity of a serviceman who has taken his own life, then the perpetrator will be imprisoned for 3-8 years. In case the actions are carried out against a group, a senior official, or the same person repeatedly, the punishment will be 5-10 years. Lastly, if the harassment is committed during war, military operations or during martial law, the punishment will be extended to 7-12 years.
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