Yesterday in the evening Deputy of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan passed to the RA Human Rights Defender an information on the worsening health status of Hovhannes Harutyunyan, who had a gunshot wound on the territory of the Police-Patrol Regiment and is detained at the “Hospital of Convicts” penitentiary. Mass media also published such information.
Today only in the morning a doctor of the Department for Prevention of Torture and Ill-Treatment of the Ombudsman's office of the Republic of Armenia and a specialist of the Rapid Response Department had a private conversation at the «Hospital of Convicts» penitentiary of the Ministry of Justice of RA with H. Hovhannisyan and scrupulously studied medical documents, related to him. These issues are under the surveillance of the Human Rights Defender.
As a result, it was found that the information on the H. Harutyunyan's health status, in particular, the blackening, sensory loss and freezing of his leg, have not been proved.
According to the doctor-specialist of the Ombudsman's Office, who examined H. Harutynyan's leg, the latter freely flexes and opens the knee joint, and he also freely moves his foot.
As a result of the medical examination, it was also found out that the skin of his leg has not been changed color. When the leg hangs for a long time, a slight redness can be noticed on the foot.
The leg tendon and plantar reflexes, sensibility are preserved, he freely moves the toes, reacts to contacts.
During the visit, Hovhannes Harutyunyan was not wearing socks, and even in such circumstances Mr. H. Harutyunyan himself insisted that legs were not cold.
In the process of a private conversation with Mr. H. Harutyunyan, he moved in the room with support of crutches, slightly leaning the foot against the floor.
Representatives of the Ombudsman's office with H. Harutyunyan's consent photographed and filmed the movements of his leg.
Examination of Mr. H. Harutyunyan's medical documents showed, that on November 2 he was examined by doctor-traumatologists from «Erebouni» Medical Center and they evaluated Mr. H. Harutyunyan's overall status as satisfactory: blood was not produced from the wound, atrophy of the right quadriceps muscle, caused by immobilization of the leg after the surgery, was registered, for which remedial exercises were recommended to Mr. H. Harutyunyan. It was also advised to walk with crutches, avoiding burdening the extremity.
Examination of the medical documents also showed that Mr. H. Harutyunyan on October 27 refused to undergo roentgenography, which was prescribed by medical personnel to decide the further treatment strategy, justifying his refusal by not wishing to be exposed to radiation once more.
In the medical documents, besides the records, made by the doctors in charge, researcher and on duty, any other document, containing medical conclusion, including the conclusion, allegedly given by a Dutch Doctor of Medicine, related to H. Harutyunyan (as it was mentioned in several mass media sources) has not been found out. Lawyer Hayarpi Sargsyan has not presented to the Ombudsman's office any document, containing medical conclusions, despite our request to do so.
Detailed examination of the medical documents, related to Mr. H. Harutyunyan, showed that he is under a daily medical observance.
Nevertheless Mr. H. Harutyutnyan insisted that he is in need of surgery and noted that the leg aches when stretching. According to him, he does not want to wear a fixator, independently makes the exercises, prescribed by a doctor. Other health complaints were not presented by Mr. H. Harutyunyan.
With this release, we once again apply to the lawyer or any other authorized representative of Hovhannes Harutyutyan with request to provide us with documents on H. Harutyunyan’s health status, which were spread yesterday in the mass media. The medical confidentiality of the documents is guaranteed. We need them for examination and taking relevant steps, based on professional examination.