Psychiatric Hospital Patients Declare Hunger Strike: Clarification

The spokesperson of the Ministry of Health, Alina Nikoghosyan, has issued a clarification regarding the situation titled "Tense Situation at the 7th Special Unit of Nubarashen Psychiatric Hospital: Over 50 Patients Have Declared a Hunger Strike, Including the Brother of Actress Shushan Tovmasyan."

"In response to the report titled 'Tense Situation at the 7th Special Unit of Nubarashen Psychiatric Hospital: Over 50 Patients Have Declared a Hunger Strike, Including the Brother of Actress Shushan Tovmasyan,' we inform that the director of the National Center for Mental Health, Sergey Khachatryan, has confirmed that the patients raised a question and demanded to be allowed to receive food brought by their relatives. The director explained that the restriction was related to the safety of the patients, aiming to protect them from food poisoning, considering the recorded cases of intestinal infections over the past month. Sergey Khachatryan also noted that there are currently representatives from both the Office of the Human Rights Defender and the police present at the center, and the issue has been resolved. All patients in the unit have received food," he wrote.