On Monday Serge Sargsyan personally visited former world and European championship boxer, and former National Assembly deputy candidate Israel Hakobkokhyan, who had been on a hunger strike near the Central Electoral Commission building for the past six days. After a short conversation with the prime minister, Hakobkokhyan ended the strike. Sargsyan came to the CEC building around 2 p.m., cordially greeted Hakobkokhyan, and simply talked to him for a couple of minutes in a whispering tone. After that he left without answering journalists’ questions and Hakobkokhyan ended the hunger strike.
Israel Hakobkokhyan told “Radio Liberty” what Serge Sargsyan whispered in his ear that made him end his hunger strike and go home.
“He said ‘go home, relax a little so that you can formulate your thoughts. Then you will come, we will sit down and talk’. I am thankful that he came when he did, as later I would have been on the verge of dying,” said the boxer. Let us recall that Hakobkokhyan had begun the hunger strike on May 16th with the demand to recognize the results of the parliamentary elections in the 11th precinct as invalid. That was the precinct where he was nominated and where, based on official data, Grigori Margarian, owner of the “Bellagio” restaurant complex, won. Hakobkokhyan claims that the vote took place with numerous electoral violations. Israel Hakobkokhyan had demanded meeting with the prime minister on Friday.