Epress.am — Anna Yengoyan, a mother of four serving her sentence at the Abovyan Penitentiary, has raised an alarm over artificial obstacles being placed on meetings with her older sons. Since December 2025, her 17 and 8-year-old sons have been at the "Sabine" care center, yet the mother has only seen them once in eight months, with the help of the prison administration.
Anna does not complain about the prison conditions but is outraged by the care center's harsh stance regarding her visitation. Initially, the center claimed that the meetings cause stress for the children, even though Anna keeps her two younger children with her in an 18-square-meter prison cell. The mother is perplexed: how can living in the restricted conditions of a prison not be stressful for the children, while a brief meeting in a visitation room is? Later, the center argued that they could not organize the meetings due to a lack of budget or clear procedures.
Anna attempted to organize the meetings through her husband, but he was refused on the grounds that he is not the biological father. Although the mother and other relatives have also requested visits, the center responded that they must wait for permission from the ministry, as a teenager recently escaped from the facility. Anna emphasizes that she fully trusts her husband, with whom she has raised the children for years.
The woman was sentenced to 7 years and 3 months in prison and is held under a closed regime, where the cell is opened only for walks. Despite serious health issues, including a spinal hernia and previous surgeries, the court denied her request to postpone the sentence. Anna admits her guilt but does not understand the cruelty of the closed regime, as her only goal is to maintain a connection with her children and prevent them from repeating her fate.
