Distorted Body of Deceased Received; Tensions Rise in Tsovagyugh

Tensions have escalated in the Gegharkunik region on August 3. According to photojournalist Gagik Shamshyan, over 150 residents of Tsovagyugh are threatening to block the main road leading to Vardenis on the Sevan-Martuni-Getap highway as a sign of protest.

In a conversation with Gagik Shamshyan, local residents expressed their frustration saying, “Where are Health Minister Arsen Torosyan and Gegharkunik Governor Gnel Sanosyan looking? Why haven’t they found the time to visit the Vardenis hospital or the morgue to see firsthand the chaotic conditions prevailing there? You cannot even approach the morgue within 100 meters due to the unsanitary conditions. It is so bad that it makes one nauseous. There are no basic conditions, neither refrigeration, nor sanitation. The forensic doctor seems to be a torturer of the deceased. On July 31, our village resident, 82-year-old Osan Sargsyan passed away, and around 9 in the morning, we took the body to the Vardenis morgue. It would have been better if we hadn’t moved her body and hadn’t had to see our mother’s body distorted.”

The participants of the protest also mentioned that they are currently reconsidering their plans to block the road, hoping that the government, the Ministry of Health, the Police of the Republic of Armenia, and the Prosecutor General’s office will conduct an investigation in the coming days and bring those responsible for this situation to light. “Otherwise, we will resort to extreme measures, including blocking the road.”