Ex-prosecutor general slams Armenian authorities’ coronavirus response as ‘inefficient’

Panorama, Armenia
June 9 2020

“Thanks God, I have not  been infected, I am not sick. I wish good health to everyone,” Armenia’s former Prosecutor General, Doctor of Law Gevorg Kostanyan told an online interview on the 2nd TV Channel on Monday, dismissing reports that he has contracted coronavirus.

Reflecting on the situation with coronavirus in Armenia, Kostanyan stressed that many issues will inevitably receive legal and criminal assessments.

“If I'm not mistaken, we have recorded more than 270 deaths, therefore all this is subject to discussions and evaluations from the criminal and legal point of view. For example, would it have been possible to prevent these deaths if the state of emergency had been declared earlier? Would it have been possible to curb the spread of the infection and to reduce the fatalities if tougher and more efficient restrictions had been in place? These are crucial issues,” he said.

Kostanyan blasted the government’s response to the pandemic as “totally inefficient”, citing the spike in the Covid-19 cases and high death rate.

“When we impose restrictions which are supposed to be effective and there are new cases and deaths of such a rate, what’s the reason for it? Maybe they are inefficient or wrongly applied in the public life. To put it simply, Sweden is the only country in Europe that has opted against any restrictions to contain the spread of coronavirus. If I'm not mistaken, Armenia has the second highest number of infections per one million population after Sweden. Therefore, a question arises that the restrictions have zero efficiency,” he stated.