In Armenia, life convict goes on hunger strike

This morning, in Armenia, Mher Yenokyan, who was sentenced to life imprisonment on the charge of murder, went on a hunger strike, demanding a retrial.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that Mher Yenokyan serves his life sentence for the murder of a young man.

Mher Yenokyan demands that the President of Armenia and the relevant authorities should reconsider his case.

According to the lawyers of the convicted man, Mher Yenokyan has never admitted his guilt in his testimony, and he continues to insist on his innocence.

Today, the civil initiative, dealing with the problems of life convicts, and members of the Helsinki Committee of Armenia met journalists. They urged Mher Yenokyan to stop his dry hunger strike, which can be extremely dangerous to his health in the conditions of summer heat.

Then, they demanded that, on the exclusive basis of new facts, which occurred in the case, the Court of Cassation should cancel the verdict of life imprisonment, pronounced to Mher Yenokyan 16 years ago.

Writer Artsvi Bakhchinyan also attended the meeting with the journalists. He stated that, prior to reading of the book written by Mher, he did not know him and that only after reading the book he decided to join the group for the protection of his interests.

Artsvi Bakhchinyan reported that about 200 persons had joined the initiative, including intellectuals, workers of culture, and representatives of civil society, who signed the appeal for reconsideration of Yenokyan's case and sent it to Serzh Sargsyan, President of Armenia, Grair Tovmasyan, Minister of Justice, Agvan Ovsepyan, General Prosecutor, and Aram Mkrtumyan, Chairman of the Cassation Court, the "A1plus.am" reports.

In her turn, Zarui Muradyan, a member of the civil initiative, dealing with the problems of life convicts, emphasized that workers of culture and intellectuals of Armenia are constantly raising the issue of life convicts.

"In Armenia, with its population of only 3 million inhabitants, there are 103 life convicts, and in Australia, with its population of 120 million, there are only 57 life convicts persons," the human rights defender stated.

"We constantly keep talking about judicial errors that occur even in the most developed countries. And Armenia has even no institution for reconsideration of cases, there is no precedent for retrial of a life convicts," Zarui Muradyan has stated.

"As far as Mher Yenokyan is concerned, it is an unprecedented case. Even being in prison, he helps the people in need. Mher published a book under the title "I talk to you, man" and transfer the money received from its sale for medical treatment of death-sick children," the human rights defender stated.