Protesters in Armenia demanded that the Red Cross visit Ruben Vardanyan and other Armenian prisoners in Baku

Hundreds of Armenians gathered for the protest in front of the Yerevan office of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). The protesters called on the ICRC to urgently intervene in the situation of Ruben Vardanyan, who has been on hunger strike for two weeks.

“His condition is already critical, which means that every second counts, and thus we are trying to ask the Red Cross to immediately visit Ruben Vardanyan and try to prevent a possible catastrophe”, Artsakh Culture Minister Narine Aghbalian said during the protest.

The representative of the Armenian office of the organization Zara Amatuni said that Ruben Vardanyan was visited when he was already on hunger strike.

“During the visit, one of the ICRC staff was a foreign doctor, and there was an opportunity for a neutral examination. However, the information we recorded is confidential and is provided only to the Azerbaijani, local authorities responsible for the conditions of detention”, Amatuni said.

The participants of the protest handed over a letter addressed to the Director of the ICRC with an appeal to organize a medical examination of Armenian prisoners in Baku. They demanded:

– to impartially assess the condition of Ruben Vardanyan and other Armenian prisoners and ensure that they receive the necessary assistance;

– to take measures to end Ruben Vardanyan’s hunger strike and at the same time examine the reasons that pushed him to such an extreme step;

– to report on the conditions and treatment of Armenian prisoners.

The letter was signed by representatives of about 40 NGOs.

On March 1, Mane Tandilyan, co-founder of the “Country for Life” party, started a hunger strike in support of Ruben Vardanyan. On Sunday, two more people joined her.

More information: https://t.me/CompromatSNG/13235