Court Finds Police Officer Guilty in Death of Pregnant Woman Hit by Pashinyan’s Motorcade

A police officer in Armenia has been found guilty of reckless driving and negligence after he hit and killed a pregnant woman in 2022 while driving in Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s motorcade. The police Major Aram Navasardyan, drove the car that hit 28-year-old Sona Mnatsakanyan as she crossed a street in downtown Yerevan on April 26, 2022. She was 31 weeks pregnant. The court’s decision comes more than two years after the accident and a trial that lasted nearly three years.

The accident shocked the public in Armenia. Mnatsakanyan died before reaching the hospital. After the crash, the vehicle did not stop and left the scene. It was later identified as part of the prime minister’s convoy.

Navasardyan was arrested twice during the investigation, but both times the court released him. He continued to work and was not suspended or fired by the Armenian police, even after his trial began in November 2022.

On Wednesday, the Yerevan City Criminal Court of First Instance found Navasardyan guilty. The judge did not announce the punishment yet. That decision is expected on August 13. Navasardyan could face up to five years in prison. Until then, he is banned from leaving the country, but he remains free.

His lawyer, Ruben Baloyan, said he would appeal the court’s ruling. During the final court hearing on Tuesday, Baloyan blamed the victim for the accident. This angered her father, who was present in the courtroom.

Investigators said that the vehicle driven by Navasardyan was speeding at about 109 kilometers per hour (around 68 miles per hour), which is above the limit of 100 kilometers per hour set for motorcades. Navasardyan’s lawyer denied this, saying he did not drive over the legal speed limit. 

Baloyan also said that Navasardyan was not the one deciding the speed. He claimed that higher-ranking officers gave the orders. This led the lawyer representing the victim’s family, Raffi Aslanyan, to raise further questions. Aslanyan said that if Navasardyan was told to drive faster, then those who gave the order should also be held responsible.

Aslanyan has long argued that others in Pashinyan’s security team should face charges. Prosecutors refused to do so, which has led to accusations of an official coverup.

One of the most concerning issues raised by the family’s lawyer is the disappearance of key evidence. This includes the audio recordings of radio conversations between security officers in the convoy. Authorities said the recordings were lost because of a technical problem, but many, including opposition politicians, have a hard time believing that.

Prime Minister Pashinyan has denied responsibility for the accident. At a press conference on July 16, he said, “Don’t you understand that it wasn’t my convoy, it was the bus of Armenia’s prime minister, to put it bluntly?” 

Pashinyan’s limousine and six other cars in the convoy drove past the injured woman without stopping.

Mnatsakanyan’s parents continue to seek justice. They have said repeatedly that the investigation failed to hold everyone involved accountable. For them, Wednesday’s verdict is only a partial step forward.

Now, the public and the family are waiting to see what punishment the court decides on August 13—and whether any other officials will be investigated in connection with the deadly incident.

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