"Now the teacher slapped him once" — mother of a displaced child from Artsakh

According to Aravot.am, a criminal proceeding has been initiated regarding the incident of physical violence against a 5th-grade student at the Tigranashen primary school under Article 195 of the Criminal Code (physical impact). A video had previously circulated online, where a boy named Valeri recounted that his teacher had slapped him hard for not studying, leaving a mark on his cheek.

Aravot.am has learned that Valeri comes from a displaced family from Artsakh. His mother, Lusine Poghosyan, told a reporter: "I just went over these issues; I have no complaints against anyone. They just took my child, talked to him, and posted it on Instagram. I have 7 children; I don’t know which way to run." When asked if there had been violence against her son, she replied, "Yes, there was, but I have no complaints against anyone. The child didn't even tell me; it was the neighbor's child who told his mother, and he organized all this, posting it. Now the teacher slapped him once, and I don’t see anything wrong with that. Maybe he didn't feel pain, or it was a light hit. They have apologized to me; they came, said sorry, and I accepted it. I have no complaints against anyone. Oh man, we wouldn’t have let such things happen to our kids. Now that my child was taken, filmed, and posted, I think about that too. I will also talk to the neighbor to prevent such incidents from recurring. I’ve told them to delete those videos."