Petros Makeyan, Armenian oppositionist on hunger strike refuses to drink water

Petros Makeyan, Chairman of the Democratic Homeland Party, who is kept in the Penitentiary Establishment "Nubarashen" and who declared a termless hunger strike on April 2, on April 9 refused to drink water.

Mr Makeyan's statement that was made public on April 9 runs that by starting his termless hunger strike on April 2 he wanted to draw the attention of the Armenian and international public to wide-spread violations of human rights in Armenia, political prosecution of representatives of the opposition, and fulfilment of political orders received from the Service of National Security, police, prosecutor's office and the courts.

In his statement the Chairman of the Democratic Homeland Party reminds that on April 9 it was 40 days after the date of bloody events that happened on March 1 in Yerevan, and on that very day the authorities appointed inauguration, having broken the tradition of Armenian people that originates from time immemorial - not to make festivities on the days of mourning: "Thus, as a sign of protest against this decision of the authorities, since April 9 I additionally refused to drink water," Mr Makeyan has added.

Let us note here that on April 3 a criminal case was sent to the general court of the Shirak Region, according to which Ashot Robertovich Zakaryan, Shota Agunovich Sagatelyan and Petros Stepanovich Makeyan were accused of committing a crime stipulated by points 3 and 5, part two, Article 149 of the Criminal Code "Precluding to electoral processes and execution of powers by members of the electoral commission".

On April 9, Arutyun Urutyan, head of the territorial pre-election office staff of Levon Ter-Petrosyan in the city of Maralik, announced a 3-day hunger strike.