Armenian appellate court upholds 18-month sentence in fatal convoy crash case

Yhe Armenian Court of Appeals has upheld a lower court ruling sentencing a police officer involved in a fatal convoy-related traffic incident that killed a pregnant woman in 2022, according to the victim’s legal representative.

The appellate court left unchanged the 18-month prison sentence of Police Major Aram Navasardyan, who was driving an escort vehicle in Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s motorcade at the time of the incident.

The case concerns the death of 28-year-old Sona Mnatsakanyan, who was struck at an intersection in Yerevan on 26 April and later died from her injuries. She was 31 weeks pregnant at the time.

According to court findings cited in the original ruling, Navasardyan was found guilty under provisions of Armenia’s Criminal Code relating to violations of traffic safety rules causing death through negligence, as well as leaving the scene of an accident.

The appellate court rejected requests from both the defense and the victim’s legal heirs to alter the sentence, leaving in force the decision of the Court of General Jurisdiction, which had been issued on August 8, 2024.

Speaking to Panorama.am on Tuesday, the victim’s lawyer, Raffi Aslanyan, said the family plans to appeal the decision to the Court of Cassation, arguing the sentence is disproportionately lenient.

The defense argued there was no violation of traffic rules and that the vehicle was not speeding, according to court filings.