{"id":280881,"date":"2017-05-31T14:25:22","date_gmt":"2017-05-31T10:25:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/epress.am\/?p=280881"},"modified":"2017-05-31T14:25:22","modified_gmt":"2017-05-31T10:25:22","slug":"family-ready-to-renounce-armenian-citizenship-if-authorities-do-not-provide-disabled-soldier-with-medical-treatment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/epress.am\/en\/2017\/05\/31\/family-ready-to-renounce-armenian-citizenship-if-authorities-do-not-provide-disabled-soldier-with-medical-treatment.html","title":{"rendered":"Family Ready to Renounce Armenian Citizenship if Authorities Do Not Provide Disabled Soldier with Medical Treatment"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Single mother Asli Hasanyan, who lives in a small house in Gyumri with her four children, intends to sell the house to pay for her 20-year-old son\u2019s medical treatment. Artur, the woman told Epress.am, acquired a disability while in the army: after having served 23 months in a Nagorno Karabakh military unit, the young man was diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy and discharged from the army because he was deemed unfit for service. Armenia\u2019s Ministry of Defense and the Government have yet to respond to the woman\u2019s requests for her son\u2019s treatment payment.<\/p>\n

On May 30, the Yazidi family came to Yerevan to hand over letters to Armenian Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan and Justice Minister Davit Harutyunyan; in the letters, the woman says she, along with her four children, will renounce their Armenian citizenship if the authorities do not ensure proper medical treatment for her son. A spokesperson for the Justice Ministry, however, has told the woman that they only deal with cases that have gone to court.<\/p>\n

Government representatives have not responded to the letter yet. \u201cI saw the prime minister when he came to Gyumri during the parliamentary election campaign. His guards tried to keep me away, but Karen Karapetyan told them to let me speak. He listened to me politely but said that I should submit my letters to the Ministry of Health. Here I was told again that they can\u2019t help me. What kind of an answer is this? I gave you a healthy son!\u201d Hasanyan says.<\/p>\n

\u201cI voluntarily went to fighting positions [during the 2016 escalation of the Nagorno Karabakh border]. On April 4, a grenade flew in my direction and threw me back several meters. I began having back pains, but things were too hectic then and no one had time for my pain. So what if I didn\u2019t die when protecting the positions? Does that mean I didn\u2019t fight at all?\u201d Artur says offendedly in response to Defense Ministry spokesperson Artsrun Hovhannisyan\u2019s claims that Artur did not actually take part in the April fighting.<\/p>\n

\u201cI actually wanted choose a military career. I began working at the age of 12; I used to be a fidget, and now it’s very hard to accept that I\u2019m disabled and won\u2019t be able to work anymore,\u201d the ex-soldier continues.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey are consistent only when it comes to dead soldiers. They will never take care of the soldiers who fall ill, go blind or lose their leg in the army. But when a soldier does, they immediately give the soldier\u2019s mother a medal to show the world how much they care. I don\u2019t need this medal. I gave them a healthy soldier and want a healthy soldier back. Let them choke on their budget; I\u2019m not asking you to give me alms. The people are paying 1000 drams every month from their wages, why can\u2019t you help me at least with this money?\u201d Asli Hasanyan says disgruntledly.<\/p>\n