Epress.am News from Armenia
The administration of Yerevan’s Nubarashen penitentiary is harassing Sasna Tsrer (Daredevils of Sasun) member Ashot Petrosyan by holding him in a cell devoid of basic living conditions, according to a statement issued on Wednesday by his lawyer, Arayik Papikyan.
The lawyer has filed an appeal letter with Nubarashen administration and the Armenian justice ministry’s penitentiary department, in which he stated; “There is no [flowing] water in the cell; the area was too cold during the night due to one of the windows being broken. The inmates have blocked the cracks in the window with random items in their possession. The other conditions in the cell correspond to the above-mentioned setup.”
Papikyan added that “these actions are aimed at harassing and torturing my client” and demanded that the authorities immediately take measures “to eliminate the inhuman and degrading attitude towards Ashot Petrosyan and to provide him with all necessary conditions prescribed by law.”
Recall, Ashot Petrosyan had gone on a hunger strike on February 16 in solidarity with jailed Sasna Tsrer supporter Artur Sargsyan. He was transferred to the cell in question after ending the strike on February 20. Arayik Khandoyan, another Sasna Tsrer member who has also been refusing food in support of Sargsyan, has yet to end his hunger strike. Speaking to Epress.am today, Papikyan, who visited Khandoyan on Tuesday, said his client did not have any serious health complaints.