Photographs: 'Everyone should come for childbirth, not for burial,' says husband of pregnant woman killed in tragic accident

On April 26, a pregnant woman named Sona Mnatsakanyan, 29, was struck by a vehicle accompanying Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. Both she and her unborn child succumbed to their injuries. Following this tragic incident, Sona's husband, Ashot Vardanyan, made a poignant post on his Facebook page.

In a lengthy publication, he recounted Sona's life, interests, personality, and their personal moments together, including the story of their first meeting and falling in love.

“Yesterday was the funeral service. A week ago, I didn’t know what that was. Yesterday, I sat next to the coffin, containing the love of my life and our baby. She was incredibly focused on others, which is why I need to tell her story, at least a part of it.

There was a girl whom no one knew. Some had seen her; some had spoken to her. Some were her friends, while others were relatives, but she was so much more than anyone could imagine. Her name was Sona. She had a story—a short, tragic narrative filled with love and pain. Everyone should have come—for childbirth, not for burial,” Vardanyan wrote.

Reflecting on his first encounter with Sona, he remembered it happening during an event focused on science, technology, and journalism. “I glanced at her once, twice, then she approached me... the panel discussion began. I’m on stage; she’s in the crowd. I’m silent, watching her. When the event ends, she invites a few of us to dinner...” Vardanyan recounted.

“We were together for just 8 happy months... That is very little. Our daughter was 7 months old. She was the most awaited and loved child in the world... She would have been unique. The best of both of us. As beautiful and smart as her mother. Sona said I was the strongest man in the world, and our daughter would be like me. I was strong only because she was with me,” the man expressed poignantly.