Armenian doctor dismissed after confronting Pashinyan during election campaign

An Armenian obstetrician-gynecologist, who came into the public spotlight after a confrontation with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan during the country's election campaign, has been dismissed after 21 years of service.

Arpine Soghoyan, a candidate of medical sciences and senior obstetrician-gynecologist at a polyclinic in Yerevan's Kanaker-Zeytun district, was told that her position was being eliminated as part of a staff reduction, according to a social media post by her daughter, lawyer Tatev Soghoyan.

"After 21 years of impeccable service at the Yerevan polyclinic, it was decided to dismiss my mother on the grounds of staff reductions," Soghoyan wrote on Monday.

She questioned the decision to abolish the post of head of the women's consultation department while leaving the department itself in place, saying the move would deprive thousands of women in the district, including expectant mothers, of the supervision of an experienced specialist.

Soghoyan rejected the official explanation that the dismissal was prompted by budget constraints, arguing that it was difficult to reconcile with the Municipality's spending on public festivities.

She suggested the decision was linked to her mother's widely publicized exchange with Pashinyan during the campaign, calling the dismissal another example of pressure on those who exercise their right to free expression.

She said her mother was "in good spirits" and had "promising employment prospects."