Epress.am News from Armenia
Two lifers in Nubarashen penitentiary, Artur and Garegin, are on a hunger strike, protesting that the amendments to the RA Criminal Code made in spring were not applied to them, reports local daily Hraparak.
The newspaper notes that, according to unconfirmed reports, one of the prisoners even sewed his mouth shut as a form of protest; however, head of the Public Relations Department at the RA Ministry of Justice’s Penitentiary Service Gor Ghlechyan, who confirmed news of the prisoners going on hunger strike, denied rumors of either of them sewing their mouth shut.
“One of the prisoners sentenced for life is protesting that he was wrongly convicted, while the other is demanding the new legislative amendments be applied to him. One of the prisoners began his hunger strike on Dec. 6; the other, on Dec. 7,” said Ghlechyan, adding that the two prisoners, after announcing their hunger strike, were moved to a separate cell and are being supervised by doctors.
Recall, the new amendments to Armenia’s Criminal Code set a punishment of 12–20 years in prison for murder (when previously the only options were sentences of 15 years or life). The lifers expect that their sentence can be changed to 20 years’ imprisonment.