Armenian activist Vaagan Chakhalyan went on an open-ended hunger strike

On October, 5, Armenian activist Vaagan Chakhalyan who was sentenced to 10 years of custody and is currently in prison of strict regime No 6, Rustavi, went on an open-ended hunger strike.

Chakhalyan himself said to representatives of “Yekir” union on the phone that he decided to go on a hunger strike “as a sign of protest against inhuman prison conditions humiliating honour and dignity”. The Armenian activist also demands to stop “unlawful pressure” and improve his prison conditions.

According to Chakhalyan, the prison administration refuses to register his hunger strike in spite of his demands, “Armenia Today” reports.

Earlier, on September, 15, Chakhalyan’s attorney Stephan Voskanyan declared that pressure upon his client was strengthened, including toughening his prison conditions, News.am reports.

There have been no comments from representatives of in prison of strict regime No 6 of Rustavi yet.

Coordination Council for Protection of the rights of the Armenians of Javakh appealed to President of France Nicolas Sarkozy drawing his attention to the problems of the Armenians in Georgia by sending him an open letter on October, 4.

In particular, the letter runs that “every episode of opposing the authorities’ decisions results in illicit actions”. This is just the reason why “Vaagan Chakhalyan, one of the Armenian political figures who consistently criticized the Georgian authorities’ policy concerning the Armenians of the region, was arrested upon forged accusations and sentenced to 10 years of custody”, PanARMENIAN.Net reports.