21:38, 19 January 2016

Rights defender Sakunts states the need of solitary cell for Yke Kyuregyan

Yke Kyuregyan. Photo: http://armtimes.com/hy/read/75293

The convicted activist Yke Kyuregyan continues his hunger strike as he feels bad in a cell with other inmates because of their constant smoking, said Arthur Sakunts, the chairman of the Vanadzor office of the Helsinki Civil Assembly, who is representing the interests of the activist.

Yke Kyuregyan demands placement into a solitary cell, as the hunger-striker has health problems in the general cell, Mr Sakunts has stressed, adding that "almost all his cellmates smoke; the cell itself is not ventilated; therefore Kyuregyan suffers from oxygen starvation."

In Armenia, there are no mechanisms, regulated by the law, of appealing against custody conditions, apart from prisoners' applications to the prison administration, Arthur Sakunts has noted.

Yke Kyuregyan is in the cell intended for the hunger-striking prisoners, Gor Glechyan, the head of the press service of the penitentiary administration of the Ministry of Justice of Armenia, told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent, adding that Kyuregyan refuses to eat, and only drinks water.

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

Author: Tigran Petrosyan

Source: CK correspondent