Member of the Founding Parliament oppositionist initiative, ASALA veteran Alek Yenigomshyan assures that the medical workers who are kept on the territory of the Police Patrol Service Regiment are not hostages they are guarantee for satisfying demands laid down by Daredevils of Sasoun group on providing mobile health center. He made the remark at today's press conference when commenting on the statements made by the Healthcare Ministry and Police of Armenia that the medical workers of Ambulance service were taken hostages by the armed group.
According to him members of Daredevils of Sasoun demand to establish permanent medical duty with shifts, after which the medical workers will be released in exchange for a new ambulance unit. Yenogmoshyan stated that even in war time people are not deprived of the opportunity to receive medical care and the members of the armed group according to all the running international conventions have the right to this.
Yenigomshyan informed that there are two injured in the seized building. "One of them was injured earlier, the other was slightly injured yesterday", he noted adding that the members of the group have two demands related to this. The first one is to provide medical care, the second demand is to meet with the parliamentarians. Founding Parliament movement urged the MPs of the National Assembly to apply to the Police of Armenia and demand a meeting with the members of Daredevils of Sasoun group.
To note, earlier Healthcare Ministry of Armenia has made a statement according to which the ministry considers it impossible to fulfill the demand of the members of "Daredevils of Sasoun" group on exchange of the medical workers of ambulance service, who were taken hostages earlier, to a mobile surgical unit with specialists. At the moment the Healthcare Ministry of Armenia only considers the possibility of releasing the hostages with no preconditions, the Spokesperson of the Ministry Anahit Haytayan told ArmInfo's correspondent. To note, chief epidemiologist of Armenia Ara Asoyan voluntarily agreed to surrender to Daredevils of Sasoun in exchange for the hostages. A few hours earlier, Police of Armenia informed that a group of medical workers of the Ambulance service arrived at the territory of the Police Patrol Service Regiment that was seized by the armed group 'Daredevils of Sasoun' on July 17 to provide aid to the two wounded members of the group. However, physicians Norayr Tevonyan and Slavador Khechoyan, paramedic David Tononyan, and nurse Malina Margaryan were taken hostage by the armed group.