32-Year-Old Inmate at Armavir Prison Goes on Indefinite Hunger and Thirst Strike

Relatives of Arthur Poghosyan, who has been detained for two months at the Armavir penitentiary since May 12, are raising alarms, stating that as of today, Poghosyan has declared an indefinite hunger and thirst strike in protest against the Investigative Committee of Armenia's Ararat regional investigative department and the regional prosecutor's office. This was reported by Shamshyan.com.

According to the inmate's relatives, he does not accept the theft charges against him. “He was given a phone, and he passed it to another person without knowing it was stolen. That person took it, sold it, got caught, and now they are telling Arthur that he is the one who stole it. There are three people in the case, but that taxi driver only recognized him. He has refused both confrontation and giving testimony, insisting that the case has been fabricated against him. He is declaring an indefinite hunger and thirst strike starting today.

He did not commit theft; he called the investigator and said, ‘Come, I can give it to you, go check with VivaCell, see the whole conversation,’ but the investigator refused. The taxi driver also gave false testimony, based on which the charges were brought against him. Arthur insists that the reason for his hunger and thirst strike is his protest against the Ararat investigative division and the prosecutor’s office, and he hopes that the Human Rights Defender Arman Tatoyan will also address this issue.”