The defense lawyer of Narek Samsonyan, who has been on a hunger strike for 13 days, reported a sharp deterioration in his health condition.
Astghik Matevosyan, editor of Antifake.am and defense counsel for Samsonyan, co-founder of the “Imnemi” podcast, wrote on Facebook that his condition worsened significantly during a late-night visit on January 21.
“I again visited Narek Samsonyan, who has been on a hunger strike for 13 days and illegally detained for 69 days. During the visit, he experienced repeated dizziness, after which his condition sharply deteriorated and the dizziness persisted for a long time. We called a nurse, who measured his blood pressure and said the condition was a consequence of the hunger strike. We do not know how Narek felt overnight in the punishment isolation cell or what condition he will be in today, on the 14th day of the hunger strike.
In addition to the hunger strike, Narek has serious health problems and urgently needs surgical intervention. We have been waiting for a week for a decision to transfer him to a hospital,” the post said.
Lawyer Aram Vardevanyan wrote that Armenia is facing a crisis of the humanitarian principle.
According to him, under even minimal humanitarian standards, a court hearing would have been scheduled immediately on the court’s own initiative, and detention imposed under such grounds and conditions would have been lifted.
“Political persecution is not limited to bringing unlawful charges against individuals; it is inevitably accompanied by detention. Detention is a mandatory element in the political persecution of national benefactors, clergymen, and publicly known figures. Moreover, such detentions last for months.
In reality, they lack even minimal legal justification, and this is known to those filing motions, demanding detention, and approving it as judges. Narek and Vazgen have been detained for months. It is obvious that their detention pursues exclusively repressive aims, while the principle of humanity requires the rule of law, which has failed in all these cases. Narek’s hunger strike has already lasted 13 days. The case is currently under court consideration.
The law must prevail. Freedom for all political prisoners,” he wrote.
On January 9, the judge granted the prosecutor’s motion to extend the detention of hosts Narek Samsonyan and Vazgen Saghatelyan by another three months, after which Samsonyan declared an indefinite hunger strike.
