Human rights activist accuses Armenian Minister of Justice of  spreading lies

ArmInfo. Human rights activist Zhanna Aleksanyan accused the Armenian Minister of Justice, Srbuhi Galyan, of spreading lies regarding access to medical care for  the convicted head of the Shirak Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic  Church, Archbishop Mikael Ajapakhyan.

She stated that on December 8, in a conversation with journalists,  Galyan stated that there were no obstacles to providing Bishop Mikael  Ajapakhyan with proper medical care, stating that the Ministry of  Justice is eagerly awaiting the application from his lawyers, which  has not yet been submitted. "This response from the minister greatly  surprised Bishop Mikael Ajapakhian's lawyer, Marine Farmanyan. She  told Radio Liberty that they had filed a petition, but it was  rejected. The lawyer called the minister's response absurd. Moreover,  the director of the Penitentiary Medicine Center, Kamo Manukyan, also  confirmed that they had received a petition from the bishop's  lawyers. In other words, the minister is openly lying. Lying is a  necessary condition for joining the government," Aleksanyan wrote on  her Facebook page.

The human rights activist also noted that medical care in Armenia's  penitentiaries is in a catastrophic state.  "I receive numerous calls  from detainees and convicts. If this kind of behavior is displayed  toward Archbishop Mikael, who is currently in the spotlight, imagine  what will happen to others," she concluded.  It was previously  reported that Archbishop Mikael, sentenced to two years in prison for  allegedly calling for a coup, requires urgent surgery. Commenting on  the situation, the head of the Armenian Ministry of Justice assured  that such assistance would be provided as soon as his lawyers filed  the appropriate petition.