Arthur Osipyan, chairman of the Artsakh Revolutionary Party, who according to lawyer Roman Yeritsyan remains in a detention facility and had declared a hunger strike in court, is currently not being held in a cell designated for hunger strikers. The information was confirmed by Armenia’s Penitentiary Service, according to Factor.am .
“After Arthur Osipyan was transferred to the penitentiary institution, he did not submit a written application declaring a hunger strike as required by procedure, therefore he is not being held in a cell designated for hunger strikers,” explained Nona Navikyan, head of the Penitentiary Service’s public relations department.
Roman Yeritsyan again insisted that Osipyan had declared a hunger strike both in the detention center and in court and had no intention of ending it. At the same time, the lawyer said he still did not know why no application had been submitted.
“Perhaps he is unfamiliar with the procedure,” he said.
According to the lawyer, Osipyan launched the hunger strike in protest against the charges brought against him, describing them as political persecution.
Earlier, Arthur Osipyan approached Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan during a campaign event in Yerevan’s Arabkir district and asked questions concerning Armenia’s security and demands put forward by Azerbaijan, noting that Baku was raising the issue of Azerbaijani refugees’ return on international platforms. Pashinyan responded sharply, accusing Osipyan of spreading “Azerbaijani narratives.” The situation then escalated, and Pashinyan demanded in harsh language that Osipyan leave.
Hours later, Osipyan was detained, and later a court ordered his two-month pretrial detention. Following the criminal prosecution and arrest, several civil society organizations and human rights defenders called on the authorities and law enforcement bodies to halt actions against Osipyan.
