Maternity Hospitals Have No Relation to Illegal Adoptions: Razmik Abrahamyan

The hearing in the case involving former Deputy Minister of Health Arsen Davtyan and Director of the Republican Maternity Hospital Razmik Abrahamyan began today at the Shengavit residence of the Yerevan General Jurisdiction Court.

Before the hearing, in response to journalists' questions regarding illegal adoptions of children, Razmik Abrahamyan stated, “Maternity hospitals have no relation to this matter, no relation whatsoever.”

When asked by Haykakan Zhamanak about the mention of the Republican Maternity Hospital's name, Abrahamyan responded, “This is carried out by the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Social Affairs, law enforcement agencies, and orphanages.”

Having reminded him that there was also an adopted child from the Republican Maternity Hospital, Abrahamyan insisted again, “The maternity hospital has no relation to this.”

According to a statement from the National Security Service, two citizens of Armenia organized the adoptions of over thirty children who are citizens of Armenia, using their connections within the republican maternity institutions and several government agencies as well as orphanages, for Italian citizens who took custody of them. For this purpose, several employees endowed with regulatory and other administrative functions within the maternity institution, according to preliminary agreement, deliberately and for profit, coerced more than ten women who applied for termination of pregnancy due to social or personal issues between 2016-2018. In some cases, they threatened to disclose the fact of pregnancy, exaggerated the newborn's illness, and used false information to psychologically pressure the women into relinquishing their children for adoption, against their will, and in some instances, accepted money as a bribe in return for medical services provided to the mothers.

Razmik Abrahamyan refused to comment on his position regarding the charges against him. His lawyer, Samvel Dilbandyan, replied to journalists' questions by stating that Abrahamyan's stance regarding the charges would be voiced in court: “The judicial investigation has just begun; it will be public, and the questions you have posed will be raised in court. You will hear his position regarding the charges there.”

In response to a media inquiry about whether there had been any confrontations involving him, the lawyer replied, “Everything has happened; a full, objective, and multi-faceted investigation has been carried out.”

It should be noted that Razmik Abrahamyan has been charged with having given a particularly large bribe to Arsen Davtyan, the Deputy Minister of Health, who oversees the organization of maternal and child health protection activities and the funding operations carried out through the ministry within the healthcare system.