Armenia: A 29-year-old pregnant lady has died after being hit by a police vehicle in Yerevan that reportedly accompanied the Armenian Premier in Yerevan.
The officials of the police have stated that an officer on duty was responsible for the death of the pregnant woman/ accident, which occurred on Tuesday, April 26, evening; however, they have refused to confirm or deny whether the car was part of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s motorcade.
As per the sources, it was noted that an on-duty officer initially fled the spot after hitting the woman with his car, but after some time, he came back and was arrested on the spot. Following his arrest, the Investigative Committee of Armenia has filed charges against the on-duty officer who hit the lady.
Moreover, the unnamed 29-year-old lady and her unborn child died at the hospital, according to the Committee; the woman was seven months pregnant when she took her last breath.
The happening took place in the central Leo-Paronyan intersection of Yerevan.
Critics were quick to slam Pashinyan’s convoy and its police escorts for what they termed “reckless driving.”
Following the news of the woman’s death, Daniel Ioannisyan, a democratic activist living in Yerevan, wrote on Facebook, “Traffic police escorts have long been driving with unprecedented obscenity.”
‘All the policemen who have jeopardised individuals’ lives for these cases remain unpunished’, he added.
Several people of Armenia took to social media to criticise the government for not living up to its promise to reduce the number of cars owned by the state, a promise that the administration seems to have reneged on, as official motorcades continue to throttle traffic.
According to the latest WHO data published in 2018, Road Traffic Accidents Deaths in Armenia had reached 439 or 1.84% of total casualties. The age-adjusted Death Rate is 13.79 per 100,000 population, ranks Armenia #109 in the world.