The defense cited the deterioration of Narek Samsonyan's condition as a consequence of his imprisonment.

Narek Samsonyan, co-author of the Imnemnimi podcast, was brought to a court hearing in Yerevan in a wheelchair. His defense and the opposition said his condition was a consequence of his imprisonment and a 15-day hunger strike.

As reported by the Caucasian Knot, a Yerevan court extended the detention of Imnemnimi podcast co-authors Narek Samsonyan and Vazgen Saghatelyan on hooliganism charges. Following this decision, Narek Samsonyan announced the start of an indefinite hunger strike. Samsonyan's lawyers reported deteriorating health and the need for urgent surgery. Human rights activists have recognized him as a political prisoner and demanded his immediate release. During his hunger strike, he was taken in for examination several times. Doctors recommended that he end his 14-day hunger strike, but Samsonyan refused. After the examination, he was returned to prison.

Samsonyan was brought to court in a wheelchair. "Political prisoner Narek Samsonyan has developed musculoskeletal problems," Samsonyan's lawyer, Ruben Melikyan, said.

The January 29 hearing was held in the criminal case brought at the request of Armenian Parliament Speaker Alen Simonyan against Narek Samsonyan and Vazgen Saghatelyan, co-authors and hosts of the "Imnemnimi" podcast, Aysor.Am reported.

Medical examinations will determine whether these problems are caused by the more than two-week hunger strike or by the detention itself, given the conditions in the pretrial detention center, the lawyer said.

"I believe all of this is a consequence of detention. The hunger strike is also a consequence of imprisonment," Melikyan said.

For a person with underlying health issues, 15 days of hunger strike have led to serious consequences—from heart complications to spinal problems.

National Assembly Member Tigran Abrahamyan agreed with this opinion. "Narek Samsonyan did not attend the court hearing—he was literally brought in a wheelchair. Although I saw him in this condition in the hospital and knew the reasons, I did not want to speak or write about it. For a person with underlying health issues, 15 days of hunger strike have led to serious consequences—from heart complications to spinal problems. I'm not even mentioning the underlying condition, which requires surgery, which Narek has yet to overcome after overcoming other problems. Let's note: the reason Narek took the extreme step of going on a hunger strike was the unfair and illegal decision to extend his pretrial detention. "Those responsible for Narek's health and detention—the investigator, prosecutor, and judge—place political instructions above all else," the MP is quoted as saying in the publication.

Armenian opposition MP Garnik Danielyan announced the end of Samsonyan's hunger strike on January 24 when he visited him at the Izmirlyan Medical Center, Armenia Today reports.

Samsonyan was taken to the medical center on January 23. That same day, his lawyer, Ruben Melikyan, announced that he had appealed the court's decision to extend Samsonyan's arrest for three months and was preparing a motion to reconsider the use of arrest as a preventive measure against him, the publication reports.