Witnesses Testify to Husband’s Abuse in Zaruhi Petrosyan Trial

The trial in which Yanis Sarkisov is accused in the murder of Zaruhi Petrosyan will resume on Sept. 30.

During the last court session, Zaruhi’s neighbor, a minor only identified by the initial E., testified that prior to her death Zaruhi was always loathe and sad. Furthermore, E. continued, tne day before her death her grandmother saw how Zaruhi’s husband was pulling her and how the latter was bent over and hugging her abdomen.

Also heard in court were testimonies of two other witnesses who are currently outside Armenia. They testified on how they witnessed Zaruhi’s husband, Yanis, hitting his wife. One of the testimonies stated that Zaruhi wanted to divorce Yanis and told the witness that living with her husband has become intolerable due to his ongoing abuse and brutal treatment of her.

During the trial, the defense motioned for subsequent court sessions to be in camera (behind closed doors); however, this was overruled, reports the Coalition to Stop Violence Against Women in Armenia.

Recall, 20-year-old Petrosyan died on Oct. 1, 2010, as a result of repeated psychological and physical abuse at the hands of her husband (Sarkisov) and his mother. Her child, who is a minor, is currently in an orphanage, under state care. Subsequently, a group of 7 local NGOs formed the Coalition to Stop Violence Against Women in Armenia and are monitoring the case.