Ararat Region Resident Sold Newborn Daughter for 2000 USD, Charges Filed Against 5 Individuals

On July 16, 2020, a resident of the Ararat region reported that she had made arrangements through an employee of a medical institution in the same region to sell her newborn daughter for 2,000 USD to a couple from Yerevan on July 13, 2020. This was reported by the Information and Public Relations Department of the Investigative Committee of Armenia.

A criminal case has been initiated at the Artashat Division of the Armenian Police based on Article 168 (Sale of a child for purposes of obtaining custody or handing the child over to the custody of another person) of the Armenian Criminal Code, and it has been transferred for pre-trial investigation to the Ararat regional investigative department of the Investigative Committee of Armenia.

As a result of urgent investigative and other procedural actions, it was established that a resident of the Ararat region, who was eight months pregnant, had arranged with an employee of a medical institution in June 2020 regarding the sale of her child for 2,000 USD to a resident of Yerevan for custody purposes.

According to the agreement, the resident of Ararat was admitted to one of the healthcare institutions in Yerevan, where she gave birth to a baby girl on July 8, 2020, and after being discharged from the hospital on July 13, 2020, handed the child over to the buyer, a woman from Yerevan.

Based on sufficient evidence, both the woman who sold the child and the buyer have been charged under the first part of Article 168 of the Criminal Code of Armenia. The husband of the buyer and the medical staff involved are charged under Article 38-168, and they have provided confessional testimonies.

By the directive of the head of the Investigative Committee of Armenia, the further investigation of the criminal case has been entrusted to the Main Department for the Investigation of Particularly Important Cases of the Investigative Committee of Armenia. The investigation is ongoing.

Note: A suspect or accused in a presumed crime is considered innocent until proven guilty in accordance with the procedure established by the Criminal Procedure Code of Armenia by a legally binding court decision.