Organizer of "Million Mask March" in Armenia demands transfer into closed prison

Shant Arutyunyan, a convict in the case of the "Million Mask March", fears for his life and demands to place him for the rest of his term into a closed-type penal institution.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that the "Million Mask March", during which protesters clashed with policemen, took place on November 5, 2013, in Yerevan. On October 17, 2014, the first instance court found 14 participants of the rally guilty of hooliganism and sentenced them to different terms in prison. The organizer of the march Shant Arutyunyan was sentenced to six years in prison; and his 15-year-old son received four years of conditional custody.

On June 12, Shant Arutyunyan and another convict under the same case – Lieutenant Colonel Vardan Vardanyan, a Karabakh War veteran, – went on hunger strike, demanding to transfer them into a separate cell.

After the prisoners went on hunger strike, they were visited by Nikol Pashinyan, an MP of the National Assembly of Armenia. According to his story, Arutyunyan handed over a statement to him saying that "the security services were preparing an attempt on his life, with the idea to present it later as a suicide." According to Pashinyan, Vardan Vardanyan said during the meeting that he had joined the hunger strike, demanding to ensure the protection and safety of Arutyunyan.

The MP has confirmed that the convicts were transferred to a special cell intended for prisoners on hunger strike.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.