Yesterday a former NA MP, a former participant of the NKR war, political prisoner Sasoun Mikaelyan was moved to Armenia Medical Center. Mikaelyan, who is serving an eight-year sentence for his alleged role in last year’s post-election unrest in Yerevan, had been kept in a prison hospital since September 12. His condition reportedly deteriorated in recent weeks. Mikaelyan was said to have described his condition as “extremely bad” when he was visited by representatives of Armenia’s state human rights ombudsman, Armen Harutiunyan, last month. After the visit, Harutiunyan asked the authorities to consider giving Mikaelyan medical assistance in a civilian hospital. This week two retired Armenian army generals Gurgen Dalibaltayan and Arkadi Ter-Tadevosyan and a number of intelligentsia representatives joined those calls in an open letter to President Serzh Sargsyan earlier this week. The authorities insisted until then that the oppositionist’s condition is “satisfactory and stable.” After weeks of resistance, prison authorities in Armenia allowed Sasun Mikaelyan, one of the few opposition leaders, a former MP remaining in jail, to undergo urgent treatment in a civilian hospital. In fact the medical conclusion is the result of the political decision of the government. They did exactly the same as they did when Mikaelyan was deprived of political immunity at the NA and all the other bodies invented the criminal case and the verdict. Certain circles do not exclude that Sasoun Mikaelyan may even be released free from prison by the decision of the government. All the government has to do for that is get of the personal motivations. However it is not very characteristic to our government. Perhaps the best evidence of that is the transportation of Mikaelyan from prison to the hospital. Mikaelyan was escorted to the Armenia Medical Center by more than a dozen uniformed and plainclothes security officials at noon. They tried hard to prevent journalists from approaching and asking him questions. And this happens in the case when only several days ago perhaps with the knowledge of the authorities two lifers fled from the penitentiary.
