In Armenia, police has confiscated hunger-strikers' tent

Today in the afternoon, the police have undertaken a number of steps to prevent a protest action planned by supporters of Aram Karapetyan, leader of the opposition party "New Times", near the building of the State Office of Public Prosecutor of Armenia, and took away their tent.

In spite of the incident, R. Sarkisyan has told journalists that they would continue their protest action, since all their demands exhibited on the eve to the authorities hold good.

Rachya Sarkisyan, Deputy Chairman of the "New Times" Party, started his hunger strike from May 15, demanding release of Aram Karapetyan from custody and his immediate transfer to the specialized medical centre for examination and stop the criminal case against him.

In Mr Sarkisyan's opinion, A Karapetyan's health is in serious danger, even if he will be transferred to the "Erebuni" Medical Centre, since doctor Armen Gasparyan, who diagnosed him on May 14 (arterial hypertension) already has problems at his work. Doctor Gasparyan was offered to change his workplace for the "Malatiya" Medical Centre. The aim of this action, according to Rachya Sarkisyan, is to deprive this honest doctor of any information about Aram Karapetyan's real state of health.

"An examination was made and revealed a disorder of the heart wall trophism, which is highly dangerous for a man of 44," Armen Gasparyan, a cardiologist of the "Erebuni" Medical Centre and Associate Professor, told in a press conference. "His metabolism is broken. Within a couple of weeks the patient has lost 6.5 kilos of body weight."

Prior to Mr Gasparyan's visit, the leader of the "New Times" was examined by the doctor of the insulation facility, who found Aram Karapetyan's condition out of danger and saw no need to transfer him to the specialized medical centre. At the end of May 15, the bosses of the State Office of Public Prosecutor of Armenia allowed to take Karapetyan to the "Erebuni" Medical Centre.

According to the morning message of the Armenian Edition of Radio Liberty, after staying for some time in the resuscitation ward, A. Karapetyan was placed into an ordinary treatment ward. Then, the law enforcement bodies again demanded to return him into the cell of "Yerevan-Kentron" investigatory insulator. Currently, he is still in the "Erebuni" Medical Centre.