Lawyer slams arrest of 75-year-old woman in Gyumri

Human rights lawyer Ruben Melikyan has assumed the defense of 75-year-old Kima, a Gyumri resident who was arrested during Sunday's local elections. Melikyan has visited her at the detention facility.

“With tears in her eyes, she asked me, 'My dear child, why have they brought me here?' What am I supposed to say?” Melikyan recounted in a Facebook live video on Tuesday. He criticized law enforcement officers for targeting an elderly woman who survives on just 40,000 drams a month, rather than focusing on their actual duties on election day.

Melikyan condemned the authorities for portraying Kima as the “criminal of the century” and revealed that she has now been in detention for two days. He also said that Kima’s 90-year-old cousin was briefly arrested and later released.

“They threatened her in the worst possible way, telling her she would rot in prison,” Melikyan stated. “They asked her political questions – how she is connected with certain people.” He emphasized that she was interrogated on camera for a long period without legal representation.

According to Melikyan, the fact that no footage has surfaced on Civic, a pro-government propaganda outlet, suggests that there is no evidence of any wrongdoing.