Only Allowed to Kiss Her Son's Hand: Woman Arrived from Istanbul Allowed to Visit Funeral Parlor for a Few Minutes

Anahit Arakelyan, who traveled from Istanbul to Armenia to bid farewell to her 25-year-old son, was initially not permitted to do so due to quarantine restrictions. Following media reports about her situation, she was granted the opportunity to visit the funeral parlor for a few minutes. This was shared with NEWS.am by one of her friends, indicating that the woman was accompanied by police.

"She was taken to the funeral parlor for just a few minutes, and they allowed her to kiss her son's hand. After that, they took her back to the hotel," said her friend, noting that the young man had died of a heart attack while in the hands of his younger brother, who had been living in Armenia while their mother sporadically traveled to Istanbul. The ongoing COVID-19 situation had prevented her from returning until now.

According to the woman's friend, they had managed to find a flight option for her through other Armenians in Istanbul, enabling her to reach Armenia. She arrived on Friday.

"We somehow sent her to Minsk, where she had to stay alone for 15 hours. We thought they would let her through with the death certificate to at least attend the funeral, but she was taken into quarantine. This is a very heavy situation for her. The little boy is also alone at this moment," the informant noted.