Seventeen years ago, on Aug. 10, 2009, Chechen human rights defender Zarema Sadulayeva and her husband, Alik Dzhabrailov, were abducted from the office of their charity in Grozny. Their bodies were found the following day, in what remains one of the most prominent unsolved killings of civil society activists in Chechnya.
A newborn baby girl was found abandoned at a playground in Armenia's capital, Yerevan, on Aug. 10. She was given emergency medical treatment and taken to hospital, where doctors said her condition was stable. Police and investigators are searching for her mother.
Police received a report at about 8:40 p.m. local time that an infant had been discovered near an apartment building at 13 Alabyan Street.
According to Armenia's Interior Ministry, the newborn was wrapped in clothing when she was found. Armenian news outlet Shamshyan.com reported that the baby had been lying beneath metal sheets on the playground.
An ambulance crew arrived at the scene before police officers. Paramedics provided emergency treatment, including cleaning and tying the baby's umbilical cord, before transferring her to the Republican Institute of Reproductive Health, Perinatology, Obstetrics and Gynecology, commonly known as the Razmik Abrahamyan Maternity Hospital.
According to Shamshyan.com, the prompt actions of medical personnel saved the infant's life. The baby remains under medical observation, while the Interior Ministry said her condition is satisfactory.
Investigators from the Ajapnyak and Davtashen division of the Investigative Committee also attended the scene.
A criminal investigation has been opened, although authorities have not disclosed the specific offence being examined.
Police and investigators are working to identify the child's mother and establish the circumstances under which the newborn was abandoned.
Authorities have not said when the baby was born, how long she had been at the playground or who left her there. No arrests have been reported.