Arsen Gevorgyan’s Defense: The Opposition Figure Was Not Provided with Necessary Medical Care, and Doctors Gained Access to “Nubarashen” Only After His Death

ArmInfo.  Doctors were granted permission to enter the “Nubarashen” correctional facility effectively after the death of Arsen Gevorgyan, the Strong Armenia party’s candidate for mayor of Stepanavan. This is stated in a statement by the legal team that defended the opposition figure’s interests.

The defense recalled that Arsen Gevorgyan had been subjected to political persecution since October 23. It added that the fact that Arsen Gevorgyan was unlawfully sentenced to two months in detention, despite the entire investigation having been completed in approximately 15 days, proves that there was no need for detention as a preventive measure in the first place.

“According to the information we received about the tragic death, Arsen Gevorgyan’s health clearly deteriorated; he was examined not by a doctor from the correctional facility’s medical staff, but by a nurse. An ambulance was not called as soon as possible, or even afterward. A doctor did not provide Arsen Gevorgyan with medical assistance, and access to such assistance was not ensured. Doctors were granted permission to enter the correctional facility effectively after Arsen Gevorgyan’s death. The circumstances that have come to light raise suspicions of serious human rights violations and must become the subject of a thorough, independent and impartial investigation,” the lawyers’ statement says.

The politician’s defense noted that it would consistently pursue a proper investigation into the circumstances of Arsen Gevorgyan’s death.

Earlier, Nelly Avetisyan, the party’s head of communications and public relations, confirmed to ArmInfo that Arsen Gevorgyan had died in a detention facility.  According to information in the Armenian media, he suffered a heart attack. The penitentiary institution reported that Gevorgyan became ill at 07:55 a.m., and doctors recorded his death at 08:30.  The authorities assured that Gevorgyan had not previously complained of health problems.  A criminal case has been opened over the opposition figure’s death. The ruling force, responding to Gevorgyan’s death, merely stated that there was nothing unusual about what had happened, as at least four people die of heart attacks every day. The Armenian opposition, in turn, placed full responsibility for Gevorgyan’s death on the authorities led by Nikol Pashinyan.

It should be recalled that on October 21, the Anti-Corruption Committee of Armenia opened a criminal case against Arsen Gevorgyan, who headed the proportional list of the Strong Armenia party in the elections to the Stepanavan municipal council, and 13 other individuals. It later became known that, by a court decision, Gevorgyan had been remanded in custody for two months. Five other people were placed under two months’ detention or house arrest. Notably, one day before these events, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had suggested that those citizens and candidates for community heads in local self-government elections who were facing pressure from the ruling Civil Contract party write to him personally. But by the evening of that same day, he himself began threatening representatives of the opposition forces. It should be noted that all this occurred ahead of the local self-government elections in Stepanavan.