Woman asks Ireland authorities to return deported Armenian husband

A woman in Ireland, whose Armenian husband—Vahram Harutyunyan—was deported from the country, wants him to be allowed to return, The Irish Times reported.

Harutyunyan has been separated from his family for almost a year.

On August 15 last year the Armenian-born barber, who has lived in Ireland for almost 13 years, was deported, leaving his wife, Viktoria Gagkaeva, and their Irish-born daughter, Alina, behind .

He had gone to Dublin for a regular appointment at the offices of the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service, but shortly after arrival he was arrested and within 24 hours was on a flight back to Armenia.

Gagkaeva says apart from a five-minute phone call, he never got a chance to say goodbye to his family. After being detained, his phone was taken from him, he was put in prison, and then put on a flight in the early hours of the following morning, she says.

Gagkaeva and Alina went to visit Harutyunyan some weeks ago, but she says Ireland is their home, and she is pleading for her husband to be allowed return.

In a statement the Irish Department of Justice said for reasons of confidentiality neither the Minister nor his officials in the immigration service could comment on individual cases.