A doctor who arrived from Germany was not allowed to see the former head of the SRC — statement

ArmInfo.  German physician, professor, and doctor Nils Hansen Algenstedt, who arrived from Germany, was not allowed to see former Chairman of the State Revenue Committee (SRC) Gagik Khachatryan, who is under arrest. This is stated in a statement by Khachatryan’s defense team.

It notes that as of September 18, 2026, 16 days after being taken into custody and transferred to the "Yerevan-Kentron" prison, the former SRC head has still not received medical care appropriate to his health condition, despite numerous motions from the defense. "He has not been visited by his attending physician or a specialist in the relevant field, he has not been transferred to a specialized medical institution, and the necessary examinations have not been conducted. Only individual painkillers have been provided. Despite his serious health condition and inability to move independently, he was brought to previous court hearings on a stretcher in a semi-conscious state. Thanks to the intervention of the Office of the Human Rights Defender, some local solutions were secured; however, the threat to Khachatryan’s life and health has not been eliminated," the statement says.

It is further reported that, at the initiative of Khachatryan’s family, German physician Nils Hansen Algenstedt arrived in Armenia; he had previously performed surgery on him. "The lawyers petitioned for the doctor to be allowed to visit and examine the patient at the criminal correctional institution (CCI) "Yerevan-Kentron," but the visit was denied," Khachatryan’s defense team reported.

Speaking to journalists in front of the courthouse, lawyer Yerem Sargsyan said that their motion had been rejected on the grounds that the doctor who had arrived from another country first had to obtain permission from the authorized body. "But it must be understood that in this case we are talking about Khachatryan’s attending physician, who was simply supposed to examine him and then provide consultation," Sargsyan emphasized.

The lawyer believes that an attempt is thus being made to prevent an independent physician from seeing Khachatryan. "They are willing to allow only those doctors whom they themselves choose.  This inspires no confidence whatsoever. At the same time, independent doctors are not allowed to see Khachatryan for various formal reasons," Sargsyan concluded.

It should be recalled that by a decision of the Prosecutor General’s Office dated August 29, 2026, the criminal case initiated on June 7, 2026, against the former SRC chairman as part of proceedings being examined by the Investigative Committee was amended and supplemented, and a new public criminal prosecution was initiated. Khachatryan was detained on September 1 after law enforcement officers conducted searches in his apartments and those of his son, as well as in the offices and branches of 21 companies affiliated with them.  These actions were carried out as part of criminal proceedings concerning the receipt of bribes on an especially large scale and money laundering on an especially large scale. On September 2, the measure of restraint applied against him was detention for a period of 2 months.

It should be added that on September 1, lawyers for Armenia’s former SRC head posted a video showing Khachatryan, who was ill, literally being pulled out of bed and placed on a stretcher to be taken to court.  At the court itself, the former minister was laid on chairs, which the defense team characterized as a continuation of torture. On September 10, lawyer Yerem Sargsyan reported that the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) had sent the Armenian government an inquiry regarding the complaint submitted by Gagik Khachatryan’s defense.