YEREVAN. – 105 days on hunger strike. Prisoner Vahe Meloyan, who does not accept the charges against him, has been on a hunger strike since September 2. Naira Zohrabyan, a member of the opposition Prosperous Armenia faction in parliament, wrote this on Facebook.
“My colleagues and I visited the convicts’ hospital and met with Vahe,” she added. “The conversation, of course, failed because Vahe could hardly answer our questions. All our calls to stop the hunger strike and defend his rights in court were pointless. Vahe refuses to stop the hunger strike and will definitely not stop.
I now appeal to the Penitentiary Service: In such cases a clear procedure is in place to bring the convict or prisoner out of the extreme situation by way of medical intervention. Yes, forced feeding is no longer used being considered a form of torture, but there are other interventions that need to be done immediately.
What am I saying [this]? Because tomorrow may be late, as was the case with journalist Mher Yeghiazaryan.”