Court Refuses Bail to Ill Member of Yerevan Armed Group

Yerevan’s Arabkir and Kanaker-Zeytun district court today refused to grant bail to seriously ill member of Sasna Tsrer (Daredevils of Sasun) armed group member Aram Hakobyan. According to his lawyer, Davit Gyurjyan, the defense intends to challenge the decision in the European Court of Human Rights.

Prior to the court hearing, Gyurjyan said in an interview with Hetq.am that his client underwent a surgery to remove a brain tumor in 2014. In December 2016, he added, the defense appealed to the Yerevan-Kentron penitentiary to perform a health assessment on Hakobyan. The application, however, was refused since the authorities were convinced that Hakobyan’s health state was “satisfactory.”

Two months later, in February, Aram Hakobyan’s condition suffered a severe deterioration and the prisoner was taken to hospital with symptoms of a brain stroke, including uncontrollable movements of his right limbs and speech problems. Having spent a day at the civilian hospital, Hakobyan was transferred to the Convicts’ Hospital penitentiary, where, according to Gyurjyan, his client did not receive any form of treatment.