ARMENIAN JUSTICE MINISTRY DENIES STATEMENT THAT ALEXANDER ARZUMANYAN, MYASNIK MALKHASYAN, HAKOB HAKOBYAN AND MUSHEGH SAGHATELYAN EMBARK ON HUNGER STRIKE

arminfo
2008-04-01 22:21:00

ArmInfo. The Armenian Justice Ministry denied the statement that
arrested Armenian former foreign minister Alexander Arzumanyan,
MPs Myasnik Malkhasyan and Hakob Hakobyan, as well as former head
of the penitentiary system Mushegh Saghatelyan embark on hunger
strike. Replying to ArmInfo correspondent’s question, Arsen Babayan,
the press-secretary of the criminal execution department at the
Armenian Justice Ministry said that the specified persons made no
statements on hunger strike in accordance with the order established
by the law.

Earlier, Arsen Babayan, said that detainees at the criminal-execution
establishment "Vardashen" Isahak Malkhasyan, Smbat Ayvazyan and
Alexan Vardanyan, detainees at "Nubarashen" Marzpet Ayvazyan, Armen
Grigoryan, Sayad Hovhannisyan, Vladimir Arakelyan, Shota Saghatelyan,
Petros and Vardges Makeyans made a statement that they embark on a
hunger strike. On April 1 Karapet Rubinyan, a detainee at "Yerevan
Kentron" made a statement on going on a warning hunger strike on April
2. Souren Sourenyants and Vardges Gasparyan started a hunger strike
earlier. The oppositionists demand that the criminal prosecution
against them should be stopped.

To note, on April 1 media reported that a group of people, who consider
themselves political prisoners, made a statement on embarking on
a one-day hunger strike on April 2 and on a termless hunger strike
starting from April 9. Myasnik Malkhasyan, Karapet Rubinyan, Alexander
Arzumanyan, Ararat Zurabyan, Souren Sourenyan are among those who
signed the statement.