Armenia: third participant of "Million Mask March" goes on hunger strike

In Yerevan, Vage Mkrtchyan, the third arrested participant of the "Million Mask March" has joined the hunger strike earlier announced by Shant Harutyunyan and Liparit Petrosyan, as Ruzanna Badalyan, Harutyunyan's wife, told reporters.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that during the protest action "Million Mask March", held November 5, 2013, in Yerevan, 37 people were detained. The marchers came into confrontation with the police. In the course of the riots, eight policemen and a teenager suffered; and 20 protesters were arrested. They were charged with resisting the authorities with use of violence.

On January 1, in Yerevan, supporters of Shant Harutyunyan organized a protest action demanding to "release political prisoners headed by Harutyunyan". They declared their intention to continue fighting for liberation of prisoners to the victorious end.

The supporters of the arrested activists coordinate their actions by means of several initiative groups, set up in the Facebook more action groups, including the group named "Freedom for political and war prisoners – Shant Harutyunyan and his friends".

Let us remind you that that on November 8 relatives and friends of the arrested activists held a march with a demand the release them. On December 18, Shant Harutyunyan sent a complaint to investigators demanding to lift the ban on relatives' visits; however, the ban was not lifted.