Epress.am News from Armenia
Mikaelyan Institute of Surgery deputy director Onik Melkonyan yesterday informed local daily Haykakan Jamanak (“Armenian Times”) that if today or tomorrow Serop Der-Boghossian’s relatives don’t give their consent to his surgery, they will be forced to discharge him, after which he will be taken back to prison.
The paper reports that Der-Boghossian (pictured) last week requested not to undergo surgery so that he could be present at his appeals court hearing on Friday. Doctors agreed on the condition that they would conduct the operation on Monday or Tuesday. On Monday, however, though doctors called Der-Boghossian’s wife to discuss the matter of surgery, she never came. Melkonyan said perhaps she’ll come today, though he added, they’ve already scheduled another surgery today.
Recall, Der-Boghossian, 70, is appealing a lower court ruling that sentenced him to 15 years in prison for “coercing” local underage boys to have sex with him. Der-Boghossian, whose Metal Prince company is the small town’s main employer, was later taken to hospital because of an intestinal impasse.