27 December 2008, 10:00
Karabakh War veteran is on his 27th day of hunger strike in Armenia
Sarkis Atspanyan, a citizen of France and a veteran of the Karabakh is holding his hunger strike in detention for the 27th day already. In the morning on December 26, he refused to drink water. The "Caucasian Knot" correspondent has learnt about it from human rights activist Vardan Arutyunyan, member of the Committee in Defence of Political Prisoners.
According to Mr Arutyunyan, Atspanyan's condition remains complicated: he is very weak; he has problems with blood pressure and remains in bed most of the time. Despite all appeals of the Committee in Defence of Political Prisoners, he has not stopped his hunger strike. In his letter to the members of the Committee, Sarkis Atspanyan has noted that he will continue his protest action, as he always did what his consciousness and conscience told him.
According to Arsen Babayan, press secretary of the head of the Department of Criminal Corrective Establishments of the Ministry of Justice of Armenia, Atspanyan's health condition is satisfactory.
Sarkis Atspanyan, who is kept in SIZO from mid-November, held his first three-day hunger strike on November 28 with a demand to cancel the ban to see his relatives and make telephone calls. Then, the prison administration made concessions. On December 1, the detainee started his termless hunger strike, this time demanding immediate release of all political prisoners. He fixed the deadline for the authorities - December 29-30.
Sarkis Atspanyan was arrested under Article 333 of the Criminal Code "False denunciation" after he made a statement on November 4 that according to reliable data at his disposal in the near future and attempt would be made on incumbent President Serzh Sarkisyan.
