Pashinyan Administration calls for stronger anti-domestic violence actions after 6-year-old’s death

YEREVAN, AUGUST 26, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s spokesperson Mane Gevorgyan issued a statement on the domestic violence incident in an Armenian town which left several children injured and one 6-year-old dead.

Gevorgyan stressed that the incident must receive the strongest assessment by the law enforcement agencies.

“I am shocked by the news of a 6-year-old child’s death caused by the child’s grandfather’s violence,” Gevorgyan said on social media. “This inhumane act must receive the strongest assessment by law enforcement agencies. Horrifying cases of domestic violence continue in our society, and it is time to adopt a stronger toolkit in the fight against domestic violence, and to encourage the people under the spotlight to actively work with law enforcement agencies to prevent and rule out such cases.”

She reminded that the victim of another domestic violence case, a 14-year-old girl from Gyumri, recovered from injuries and was discharged from a hospital several months ago, while the child’s mother was once again subjected to domestic violence.

“Law enforcement agencies must carry out quick and comprehensive investigations into these incidents. I think that judicial outcomes of these cases will prevent their repetition to some extent. My condolences to the child’s relatives,” she said.

A 28-year-old woman from the village of Khashtarak, Tavush was arrested last week on suspicion of severely beating her five children. The woman’s father, 57, is also arrested on the same suspicion. A preliminary investigation has revealed that the woman has also regularly battered her two nephews. The 7 children have been recognized as victims in the criminal case.

One of the children, a 4-year-old, has suffered severe head injury, while a 6-year-old was hospitalized in critical condition. The 6-year-old failed to regain consciousness and died from multiple traumas.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan