Stop Violence Against Women March in Yerevan Today

Anahit Karapetyan, the mother-in-law of the sister of 20-year-old Zaruhi Petrosyan who died last month as a result of abuse at the hands of her husband and his mother, would like to have custody of Zaruhi’s daughter. Karapetyan said this herself during a march in the streets of Yerevan today to stop violence against women, dedicated this year to the memory of Zaruhi Petrosyan. Also participating in the march today was Petrosyan’s sister. 

The march began from the Tamanyan statue near the Cascade complex, making stops along on the way — particularly in front of the Government of Armenia building at Republic Square and the RA General Prosecutor’s Office. During the march, participants handed out leaflets to raise awareness on the issue as well as gathering signatures for due and just process in the case.

“We have to do everything so they give us the child; how can we let that murderer keep the child? Zaruhi, when she was coming to our house, and I was feeding the child, said give only a little, or else my mother-in-law will say I took the child and widened her belly, brought her back. Zaruhi stayed in our house for about 15 days, she didn’t want to go home, then her husband came, hitting, knocking [her], took her home,” said Karapetyan. 

Asked by journalists whether Zaruhi’s mother-in-law has been held accountable, Karapetyan said, for incomprehensible reasons, she is free.

“I am very seriously demanding to hold particularly Zaruhi’s mother-in-law accountable, I don’t know, perhaps she has a sponsor, that until now she is freely moving about,” she said. 

A donation drive was also happening during the march for funds to put into a bank account for Zaruhi’s one-and-a-half-year-old daughter. The account will be in the daughter’s name and she won’t be able to access it till she’s 18. 

During the march, letters were submitted to the RA Government and RA Prosecutor General asking to follow the case. There are also demands for a domestic violence law to be introduced so such cases are more severely punished. 

The march this year was organized by a coalition of NGOs including the Women’s Resource Center of Armenia, the Women’s Rights Center, Society Without Violence, PINK Armenia, Women’s Support Center/Tufenkyan Foundation, Zangakatun charitable NGO, Sexual Assault Crisis Center and UNFPA and is part of the 16 days of Activism to Stop Violence against Women.