Epress.am News from Armenia
The Coalition to Stop Violence Against Women in Armenia held a protest today outside the RA General Prosecutor’s Office in Yerevan, demanding a fair investigation in the case of Mariam Gevorgyan, 20, who was reportedly abused by her husband, David Ziroyan, and mother-in-law, Haykanush Mikaelyan.
As reported by Hetq Online over a week ago, Mariam and David married in 2009, then left for St. Petersburg, where the husband’s family lived. There, Mariam was kept in the house for 10 months and repeatedly abused by David and members of his family. Hetq Online has published photos of Mariam with bodily scars and wounds reportedly caused by a fork and hot iron. Finally, Mariam was allowed to come home to Armenia in October. According to Hetq Online, Mariam, along with David’s former wife Monica, filed a complaint with the Ararat Police Department. Monica, who married David and lived in St. Petersburg with him from 2005–2008, says the same thing happened to her.
As reported by the Epress.am correspondent on the scene, Mariam Gevorgyan was among those participating in today’s demonstration. She spoke very little to journalists, explaining she’s said everything she had to say and only wants more people to know what happened so such incidents don’t happen again.
“The person who understands understands. No one has the right to treat even the last street prostitute this way. We will go through every echelon till they are justly sentenced,” said Gevorgyan.
Also present at the demonstration was Gevorgyan’s father, Hamazasp, who said David Ziroyan’s uncle even came to their house, asking them not to protest and promising that “everything will be fine”.
One of the demonstration organizers, Women’s Support Center representative Hasmik Gevorgyan, speaking to Epress.am, said they want to draw attention to such incidents, so that the public is vigilant and such cases are not repeated.
“We have reliable information that the investigator is related to the husband, as a result of which the husband was granted amnesty. This case is closed and no one’s giving it any attention. Once again we want to tell our state agencies, see, we have two victims of domestic violence and those who have carried out the crime have gone unpunished. The purpose of our demonstration is for all those guilty to be punished,” said Hasmik Gevorgyan.
Demonstrators also delivered a letter addressed to the RA General Prosecutor, which stated that Davit Ziroyan personally told one of the victims that he spent a large sum of money so that the investigation yields an outcome favorable to him and his mother.
The signatories of the letter stress that the investigative body doesn’t take into consideration several facts in the case, acting in favor of the defense and not the one who’s making the accusation.
The Coalition states that the RA General Prosecutor’s Office is obliged to monitor the investigation process with ultimate vigilance in order to prevent the risk of corruption and to ensure the principle of legality.
The activists are preparing to send the same letter also to Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan.
Update 4:43 pm: Lara Aharonian, co-founder of the Women’s Resource Center of Armenia (one of the NGOs in the Coalition to Stop Violence Against Armenia), informed Epress.am that she, along with Mariam Gevorgyan, met with RA Deputy Prosecutor General Armen Danielyan and Head of the RA Prosecutor General Office’s Department for Crimes against the Individual Vahram Shahinyan, who informed them that they are monitoring the case, which has since been reopened and a new investigation ordered. Mariam Gevorgyan’s mother-in-law, continued Aharonian, is arriving to Armenia today and will be called in for questioning.