"I refuse to sign" - Rafael Balbabyan

Another YouTube Video with a witness, who originally was pressured to give false testimony, and now is coming out with truth, and refuses to give false testimony again. Below is the rough translation



RAFAEL BALBABYAN

I am one of the commanders of the Shushi Squadron. After they beat me up on March 1, two citizens brought me to the hospital in a taxi. I received a blow on my head, and since then, I can’t see. Then the police took me to the Prosecutor’s office, in the condition I was in.

They began to write something, then crossed it off, then wrote again, then crossed it off again. I didn’t understand what they were writing or crossing off, who they were looking for.

I signed all those written testimonies, because I couldn’t see.

They asked about Sassoun, they asked about Miasnik.

They said I had distributed 5,000 rubles. I told them I had done no such thing.
[??] And I didn’t know anything about what was written.

And now, every day, they take me and bring me back; every day, every day, to the Prosecutor’s office, from there to the Investigators’s Office, from there to the Division. The chief of police of the Kotayk Marz came, the Deputy Chief of Police came, then the Mayor came. They all came to persuade me to accept my testimonies about Malkhasyan as a basis, ‘sign and you’ll be done with court’. I told them no, [??] … forcibly, forcibly they would take me… That’s it. They were pressuring me to sign those testimonies, in that way. I refused to sign. I refused to sign, and the next day they took my passport away from me.

I’ve told them, if you bother me again, if you bother my child again, I will commit suicide. Enough! I told them, just like that. I will commit suicide and see if I’ll be free of you, or not.

They also took my son for questioning and asked: Who are you? Who is your sister?
Who is your mother? What business is it of theirs? They’ve disturbed me psychologically. I don’t know who to talk to, how, anymore.

I’m going to ask them to return my passport. If not, I don’t know what to do…