The mayor of Gyumri, Samvel Balasanyan, spoke to Aravot Daily in an interview about the 43-year-old woman who was killed by her 28-year-old boyfriend, as well as the beating of her 12-year-old daughter by the boyfriend. “It seems that violence is associated with Gyumri. This is just one example- a woman was killed and her daughter is fighting for her life. Another case was the Avetisyan family, then our janitor’s murder… This all has an effect on the lives of our citizens. I am pleased with the fact that women gathered and organized a protest against violence in Gyumri. We have traditions, we are a traditional people, and we have been on a long road. This all needs to be taken into consideration. Families are sacred and we need to uphold our historical traditions. I consider families to be sacred and my own family plays the most important role in my life. Everyone needs to understand that, and that violence cannot be tolerated within families. The fact remains that there is violence all over Armenia, not just in Gyumri, which is condemnable. I condemned violence when I was a deputy in parliament. I suggested that we create a law against violence. It is good that a law was passed upon the first reading today about violence.”

Aravot Daily asked the mayor about who will take care of the 12-year-old girl, who is currently at the St. Astvatsamayr Medical Center in Gyumri. None of her relatives went to see her.

Samvel Balasanyan said that the Gyumri Guardianship Board of Trustees held their first session. “We held the first session and I was informed that, since the girl does not have either her mother or her father, she is an orphan and she needs a guardian, despite the fact that her older brother will turn 18 in September. At the moment, there are people who wish to become her guardian, but we will see how the process plays out. The first step on behalf of the municipality was taken through calling the commission. The girl was recognized as someone who needs guardianship. They told me that there are people who called and expressed the desire to become guardians, but now we are preparing to bury her mother because all of her relatives refused to do it. We have a service that does this, so we will organize the woman’s funeral. Now, we are talking to her relatives about which cemetery she should be buried in. We have a place, so we will bury her there,” Samvel Balasanyan said.

Nune Arevshatyan