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Altercation Outside Presidential Palace between Police and Mothers of Deceased Soldiers (VIDEO)

Women whose sons died while serving in the army under non-combat circumstances today again demonstrated outside the presidential palace in Yerevan. Holding regular demonstrations outside the government building for years, they decided to gather exclusively outside the president's office, having received no response from the government after all this time.

Gohar Ohanjanyan, mother of Tigran Ohanjanyan, who died while serving in the army in 2007,  said that two years ago, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan came up to them at the gates of the presidential palace. Sargsyan said he had appointed a military prosecutor (current RA Proseuctor General Gevorg Kostanyan), who will investigate the cases and uncover the truth.

"Gevorg Kostanyan did nothing, didn't solve a single case. What happened? He's now occupying the general prosecutor's seat. Now Kostanyan's saying that the Ministry of Defense doesn't need an Investigative Service. Yes, we agree. We don't need an investigative service that fulfills orders [from above]," said Ohanjanyan.

"Serzh Sargsyan was saying a fish rots from its head; you have to snap off its head. Well now we've decided to grab the head. He's the head of state," said Nana Muradyan, mother of Valeriy Muradyan, who died during his military service in 2010.

Keeping an eye on the demonstration were several police officers, who for some time didn't obstruct the demonstration. But then they began to urge the women to leave, since "standing here is not allowed." The parents, however, said they won't leave until they get an appointment to meet with Serzh Sargsyan.

The police continued to insist that the mothers have to leave and began to push and shove the women, as a result of which Nana Muradyan fell to the ground. She refused to get up for some time.
Finally the parents went to the letters department, saying that they will continue their protests if they are not told when Serzh Sargsyan will meet with them.

Also participating in the demonstration were Irina Ghazaryan, mother of Artur Ghazaryan who died while serving in the army in 2010; and Anahit Mkrtchyan, mother of Arayik Mkrtchyan, who died in 2001, also while serving in the army.