ANC: POLITICAL PRISONERS HAVING SERIOUS HEALTH PROBLEMS ARE IN FACT TORTURED BY NOT RECEIVING PROPER MEDICAL AID

Noyan Tapan

M arch 16, 2009

YEREVAN, MARCH 16, NOYAN TAPAN. The Armenian National Congress (ANC)
spread a statement, according to which "political prisoners having
health problems, but not receiving proper medical aid by regime’s
order thus are subjected to tortures, a peculiar form of reprisal is
used to them." According to the statement authors, irrespective of
the reasons, it is considered a torture by Article 3 of the European
Convention of Human Rights.

"We demand immediately stopping the tortures of political prisoners,
ensuring necessary and high-quality medical aid. The whole
responsibility for their current hard health condition and for its
further worsening lays on the regime and personally on Serzh Sargsyan,"
the ANC statement read.

The statement mentioned that political prisoner Grigor Voskerchian’s
health condition abruptly worsened in the imprisonment place. He had
an infarct 3 years ago. "There is an apprehension that the infarct is
likely to recur under these conditions. The imprisonment place lacks
possibilities for providing proper medical aid to him," stating this,
ANC demands providing a high-quality specialized medical aid at a
hospital to Grigor Voskerchian.

According to the statement authors, political prisoner Shant
Haroutiunian also continues to be tortured the same way. "The health
condition of other political prisoners has also worsened in essence,
whose complaints were never paid any attention to."