Armenian Ministry of Health calls on rebels to release nurse

The Armenian Ministry of Health has called on members of the group "Sasna Tsrer" "(Daredevils of Sassoun), who still hold the police building in Yerevan, to release medical staff, and especially nurse Malina Markaryan.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that starting from July 17, the members of the opposition movement "Constituent Parliament" hold the building of the police regiment in Yerevan.

According to the Armenian Ministry of Health, for more than 52 hours, two physicians and a nurse of an ambulance crew are held hostage in the territory of the police regiment building.

Officials from the Armenian Ministry of Health note that "it is difficult to understand the act of the Armenian men, when a nurse is being forcibly held with them, who is on duty engaged in provision of medical care to those in need," the "Sputnik-Armenia" reports.

The Armenian Ministry of Health has also urged the rebels to "accept without any conditions the calls for the release of the physicians and the nurse."

The ambulance crew will be released if they are replaced by a new team. This was claimed by Varuzhan Avetisyan, a member of the armed group "Sasna Tsrer". He has also added that the physicians and the nurse feel good and perform their professional duties and that the wounded team members are in normal condition.

Varuzhan Avetisyan has also noted that Pavel Manukyan, a member of the group "Sasna Tsrer", tried to get medical treatment outside the territory of the seized police regiment building. However, during the transfer of the wounded persons, the police violated the agreement and began to shoot on him.

Varuzhan Avetisyan has also stressed that they will not surrender until they achieve their goal.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.