Grieving Father of Fallen Armenian Soldier Sentenced to Prison for Seeking Justice

Garik Galeyan, the father of fallen soldier Mkhitar Galeyan, has been sentenced to one and a half years in prison for hooliganism. The decision was made by the Criminal Court of Appeals in Armenia. The court reduced his original two-year prison sentence after partially accepting an appeal by his legal team.

Galeyan now has only four months left to serve. His lawyer, Vahan Hovhannisyan, said that despite the reduced sentence, they will continue to appeal the decision to the Court of Cassation.

“The court reduced the sentence from 2 years to 1.5. Mr. Galeyan now has 4 months left to serve, but we will also be filing an appeal with the Court of Cassation,” said Hovhannisyan.

He also added that, according to Armenia’s Penitentiary Service, only three individuals are currently serving prison time under the same legal article, and all of those cases involved more serious or repeated offenses. He added that Garik Galeyan is the first person in Armenia to be sentenced to actual prison time under this specific charge alone.

Hovhannisyan criticized the case, saying the state called it hooliganism when Galeyan poured clean drinking water on someone, but did not press the same charge when Parliament Speaker Alen Simonyan spat in a person's eye at the Cascade Complex.

Garik Galeyan was arrested on September 8, 2023. Following his arrest, Armenia’s Investigative Committee reported that he was found in possession of three packets of marijuana. On the next day, the Yerevan First Instance Court approved a two-month pre-trial detention.

During this time, Galeyan’s health reportedly declined, and he was transferred to a hospital. Despite this, on October 9, the Court of Appeals rejected the defense's request to change his detention to a lighter form of restraint. Eventually, his detention was replaced with house arrest. On February 21, the house arrest was extended for an additional two months.

Mkhitar Galeyan, Garik’s son, was born on August 17, 2000, in Yerevan. Described by those who knew him as a happy, loving, and optimistic young man, he was deeply connected to his family, especially his younger sister Karineh.

In 2018, he began studying Armenian-Russian-Slavic relations and political science. A year later, he was drafted into the Armenian army and stationed in Hadrut, Artsakh. Mkhitar had plans for the future. He dreamed of continuing his education through scholarship and building a family after completing his military service.

Mkhitar was known among his peers as a cheerful, brave, and responsible young man. After the death of his commander during the early days of the 2020 Artsakh War, he took on leadership duties. He helped organize care for the wounded and walked long distances to bring food to his fellow soldiers.

He was awarded the Katchariootian Martik medal for bravery and the Martagan Dzarayootian (Service) medal in honor of his heroic sacrifice. 

Now, almost five years later, his father is in prison. This has made many people in Armenia question the fairness of the justice system and how families who have lost loved ones are treated. 

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