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Late last night, the Court of Appeals, presided over by Judge Sergey Marabyan, heard the lawyers' appeal against the detention of Armenia’s former Minister of Finance and State Revenue Committee Chairman Gagik Khachatryan. After the session, Yerem Sargsyan, member of the Khachatryans' legal team, told reporters that the law enforcement authorities violated Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights in Khachatryan's case.

“My client insists that I do not publicize the topic of his health but today we are facing an extreme problem. After visiting Khachatryan at the penitentiary, medical specialists noted the need for medical assistance, after which my client was transferred to Astghik Medical Centre on January 15. On January 22, the medical consortium with the involvement of top specialists gave a clear instruction to treat Khachatryan in inpatient medical conditions. Naturally, the first obligation of the state was to ensure the appropriate conditions for treatment, however, on the same day, when they learned that Gagik Khachatryan needed medical supervision, they transferred him back to the penitentiary," the lawyer said.

He informed that after the incident they applied to all the competent authorities (penitentiary service, relevant department of the Ministry of Justice, Prosecutor General's Office) demanding that the illegality be stopped and Gagik Khachatryan exercise his right by moving to the medical center at his own expense.

“There are some important things to note in regards to health. First, Gagik Khachatryan has undergone surgery in Germany three times since 2015. After the surgery in 2018, he had to abandon the post-operative treatment halfway through to arrive in Armenia so as not to try hide away from the investigation. Second, consider his age. He is 64 years old and has been deprived of access to any treatment during his last 6 months in detention, receiving only painkillers. Now a question arises: What is the benefit of public authorities to violate a person's rights in this way? Experts have concluded that if Khachatryan fails to receive medical treatment, it can lead to serious consequences,” the attorney said. 

The court ruling will be announced on February 6, at 11am.