Epress.am News from Armenia
Hayk Kyureghyan, a supporter of Armenian political prisoners sentenced in September to nine years in jail for hooliganism, has been on a hunger strike for 24 consecutive days. Kyureghyan's father, Armenak Kyureghyan, today issued a statement alerting that life in prison has caused his son serious health problems, Hetq.am reports.
“Being a non-smoker and being in a closed and congested area, where the number of prisoners is three times higher than normal (17 persons), where people sleep in turns and where there's no proper ventilation, Hayk has developed a [cigarette] smoke allergy and a chronic cough. After the family's appeal, he received an incomplete treatment which was discontinued on the grounds of lack of appropriate specialist. Hayk is now in an extremely emaciated state; his health and his life are in danger, but his spirit is unbending,” the father wrote.
Kyureghyan expressed concern that Hayk might intentionally receive harmful substances with food; therefore, he wrote, it's necessary to transfer the prisoner to a separate cell and provide him with an adequate treatment: “[Armenia’s] authorities carry the responsible for Hayk Kyureghyan’s, as well as any other prisoner’s life and health; [authorities] should ensure [the prisoners’] safety, and not turn political revenge into practice.”