Armenian legal expert urges death penalty for father accused of killing 3-year-old son

Armenian legal scholar Davit Tumasyan has called for the death penalty for a father accused of killing his three-year-old son Tigran, a case that has shocked the country. The Interior Ministry said preliminary findings indicate the father strangled the child. He has been placed in detention. 

Tumasyan, an associate professor and candidate of legal sciences, said on Facebook that such crimes demand the harshest punishment. Speaking to Panorama.am on Friday, he said while Armenia has abolished capital punishment, reinstating it could have a “strong deterrent effect” amid rising cases of domestic violence.

He stressed the need for a full psychological and psychiatric assessment of the suspect, noting that if he is found mentally ill, compulsory treatment would follow. The expert also pointed to systemic failures in social services and community oversight, arguing that local authorities should have intervened earlier to protect the children.

“When a family is left alone with its problems, without support or guidance, tensions escalate and can lead to tragedies like this,” Tumasyan said.

The murdered boy’s four siblings have been placed in a full-time care center and are receiving psychological support. Tumasyan emphasized the need for effective enforcement of a new child protection law recently passed by the parliament, saying it must be backed by strong government regulations and better-trained social workers.