17:51, 20 May 2004

Arrested opposition leader goes on hunger strike in Armenia

Head of the press service and a member of the political council of the Armenian opposition party Anrapetutiun (Republic) Suren Sureniants, who is in pre-trial detention, went on an indefinite hunger strike on May 20. Mr Sureniants took such a step as he considers his case to be a political one and tries to draw the attention of the public and international organizations to it, reported the party's source. Suren Sureniants demands that all political prisoners be immediately released and other requirements of the resolution on Armenia adopted by the Council of Europe's Parliamentary Assembly on April 28 be fulfilled.

Opposition parties and human rights organizations report on 13 political prisoners in Armenia, Suren Sureniants being one of them. Criminal proceedings have been instituted against him. He is charged with making appeals to overthrow the constitutional regime by force.

Source: Rosbalt News Agency