Armenian artists join bid in support of detained actor

About 80 artists and art critics have joined a bid to demand the release of Vardan Petrosyan, the popular Armenian actor who was detained Saturday in connection with last month’s deadly crash on the Yeraskh-Yerevan highway.

In the statement addressed to Prosecutor General Gevorg Kostanyan and the Kotayk region’s prosecutor, Vazgen Rshtuni, they claim that the precautionary measure against the actor is not absolutely justified in the absence of any evidence proving his guilt.

Expressing their condolences with the families of the young men who died in the accident, the Armenian artists say that the fatal crash turned out to be a tragedy also for Vardan Petrosyan, who was subsequently hospitalized in a grave condition like the other survivors and had to undergo several surgeries, losing a lot of blood.

“We regret to state - with sorrow and anger - that the law enforcement authorities treat Vardan Petrosyan the same way as they would treat a dangerous criminal. The inquest body made a decision – without reasoned arguments – to detain and later bring charges against Vardan Petrosyan two days after he was discharged from the Erebuni hospital. On November 9, upon the expiry 72 hours after the detention, he was moved to the Kotayk region’s Court of First Instance from the Stress Center in an ambulance car. There, he was subjected to stress for 10 hours, with the ambulance doctor spending only five hours next to him. We consider this an inhumane attitude, and torture against a person having serious health problems,” reads the statement.

Among the artists who have signed the petitition are the director of the Yerevan Puppet Theatre, Ruben Babayan, actor and stage director Narek Duryan, sculptor Vigen Avetis and many others.