Armenian Woman Harassed by Parents-In-Law for 6 Years: Court of Appeal to Determine Child Custody

Resident of Gyumri, the second largest city in Armenia, Lilit Mikayelyan was subjected to various types of harassment by her husband's parents: over the course of 6 years, the woman's parents-in-law forbade her to visit her parents' house, to use the telephone, and forced her to quit her job as a teacher. 

In an interview with Epress.am the woman said she endured this treatment for the sake of her family until June 6, 2014, when she was separated from her two children by way of deception. Her husband, Mikayelyan said, took her to her father's house, saying that he needed to take care of some issues; however, he later called and refused to allow the woman to meet with her children. 

Mikayelyan turned to the police first, where she received the following response: “Well, he's the father; he too can bring up the children.” Then the woman turned to the Gyumri municipality, but she was told that, since her husband worked at the municipality, they could do nothing against him. In the end, Mikayelyan went to court. After proceedings, which lasted nearly a half-year, the woman got divorced, and the court left the 5-year-old son with the mother; however, custody of her 12-year-old daughter was given to the father, at the request of the child. 

“I am not happy with the ruling; the court did not take into account that my daughter was persuaded to talk against me, they bought her gifts. In court, my daughter said she was not giving up on her mother, however, her grandfather had promised to leave her his house if she stayed with them. My husband's parents tried to set my son against me too. When I was prohibited from seeing my children, I accidentally met my son on the street; he hugged me and said: "Mom, you are alive? Grandpa said that you had jumped off a bridge,” Mikayelyan said. 

Mikayelyan connected the ill-treatment by the parents of her former husband with their morbid doubts about the fact that the woman had bewitched her husband. In the yard of her parents' house, they found locks and candles, which, as it turned out, had been planted there by her parents-in-law. 

“It's ridiculous, I know. I can't help laughing even talking about it. But the consequences of their doubts over the years were not as funny,” Lilit Mikayelyan said.

Her former husband, the woman said, has appealed to the RA Court of Appeal demanding custody of their son. Appeal hearing is scheduled for June 11.