Epress.am News from Armenia
Narek Sargsyan, a 24-year-old native of Armenia's Gekharkunik province, has been on a hunger strike for 3 days in protest of his continued detention at Yerevan's Nubarashen prison, his lawyer, Arayik Papikyan, told Epress.am today.
Sargsyan was arrested on July 20, during a protest action in support of Sasna Tsrer (Daredevils of Sasun), the armed group that seized a Yerevan police station on July 17. He is being accused of taking part in mass disorders and committing violence against a police officer; if convicted, the 24-year-old could be sentenced to up to 8 years behind bars.
“Narek insists that he should be released on his own recognizance. The preliminary investigation has already been completed, and he has no way of interfering with the proceedings. Sargsyan's wife and two young children are financially dependent on him; they've been in dire condition since his arrest,” Papikyan noted.
The detainee, according to the lawyer, is being subjected to inhuman treatment by prison officials. “Narek has been on a hunger strike for 3 days, but no doctor has gone to see him. Furthermore, he should have been provided a separate cell, but I was told at Nubarashen that they currently have no free cells. There are 10 inmates in Narek's cell and they all eat normally. Keeping a hunger-striking prisoner in such conditions is inhuman.”