Young Armenian mother of infant detained for three months

A court in Yerevan has ordered the three-month detention of a young mother with an 8-month-old baby. Attorney Zaruhi Postanjyan, who shared a video of the distraught woman crying in the courtroom on Friday, criticized the decision as unfair and baseless.

The woman, Liana Harutyunyan, is a mother of three and was initially involved as a witness in the case concerning the alleged illegal migration of Indian nationals, during which she reportedly worked as a translator on seven occasions. She was later charged with aiding in the facilitation of the migration scheme, allegedly by assisting a university pro-rector implicated in the case.

The woman had previously been under a travel ban but missed one court hearing, citing the absence of her public defender. Despite requesting a new lawyer and refusing to attend further hearings without one, her failure to appear led to her detention order. Postanjyan claims the court notified her via WhatsApp on the day of the hearing, and once again, no public defender was present.

The detention decision was handed down by judge Arshak Matevosyan of the Shengavit District Court of General Jurisdiction. Postanjyan announced plans to appeal the ruling immediately, expressing concern about the fate of Harutyunyan's infant, who may now have to accompany her to prison.

According to the indictment, Harutyunyan is accused of assisting university officials in facilitating the illegal migration of 16 Indian citizens through abuse of office. Three other individuals have also been charged in the case, which was submitted to court in March.