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“Right Side” NGO reported today that a citizen from Armenia’s Shirak region is already able to act as a transgender person following the simplified procedure of getting legal name change in passport  in compliance of her gender identity

As the NGO notes, the change in her new renamed passport was possible without a psychological conclusion of being transgender and evidences from three people which the Civil Acts Registration Office previously required for legal name change.

The NGO has also published the new passport of the person in question who is now named Diana Ghzroyan. 

The Head of Passport and Visa Department of the Armenian Police Mnatsakan Bichakhchyan confirmed the name change to Panorama.am, adding the procedure has been done in compliance with the law procedure

The head of the department declined to give the previous name of the person, citing the personal data protection.

Notably, apart from the name change, the new passport had a different gender marker, where the holder acts as a female. According to the Armenian legislation, any change and amendments into the legal document requires medical paper – that is to say documentation of sex reassignment surgery. The ministry of justice told Panorama.am no relevant document has been provided to Civil Acts Registration Office.

As the ministry informed the holder of the passport is still registered as a male in the database. “The photo of the passport disseminated in social media is a result of photoshop and has no touch with reality,” the ministry representative said.

It remains to conclude that the photo of the passport released by the NGO is edited through photoshop, on top of that the person in question is still a ‘male.’