“Has the death penalty been reinstated in Armenia, and must people die whether they are guilty or not?”: Aram Orbelyan

Has the death penalty been reinstated in Armenia? Must people die regardless of whether they are guilty or not? Aram Orbelyan, a lawyer, asked these questions at a press conference, commenting on the death in a penitentiary institution of Arsen Gevorgyan, the Strong Armenia party’s candidate for head of the Stepanavan community.

“This is not the first time a mayoral candidate has been held in custody during an election. The penitentiary institution will say, ‘Well, what could we do? We called an ambulance.’ The ambulance service will say, ‘What could we do? We arrived, and he was already dead.’ Everyone will try to prove they are not to blame. When a person under its protection dies, the Republic of Armenia is to blame,” the lawyer said.