Yesterday Aram Karapetyan of the New Times party was transported from the basement jail of the National Security Service (NSS) to the Erebuni Medical Center in Yerevan late Thursday after undergoing urgent medical examination by government-designated doctors. As it’s known a few days ago Karapetyan’s health was drastically deteriorated.
Dr. Armen Gasparyan physically examined the patient-the chairman of the “New Times” Political Party Aram Karapetyan, performed ECG and found ischemia in the septum and posterior wall of the heart, signs of left ventricular hypertrophy and bradycardia (58-62 per minute). Blood pressure – 160/115 mm Hg with frequent raises up to levels specific for hypertonic crisis (diastolic or inferior blood pressure of 120 mm Hg). The patient had complaints of chest pain suggestive of cardiac origin, dizziness and headache related to raise blood pressure. Over the passed few weeks patient lost about 6,5 kg of body weight suggestive of metabolic disorders which were not related to the changes of food intake (consumption of meals was satisfactory over the whole period of staying in the penitentiary unit). It had been also revealed that the patient was exposed to a number of cardiovascular risk factors which indicated high risk of cardiovascular events like myocardial infarction and stroke. Of these risk factors, first of all should be mentioned prediabet (fasting serum glucose level of 7,7 mmol/l), exposure to passive smoking, hyperkinesias, intensive psycho-emotional stress, familial predisposition to premature ischemic heart disease and diabetes. Based on the mentioned diagnosed was made – Arterial hypertension, II stage, course with hypertonic crises, Ischemic heart disease. On May 15 Hrachia Sargsyan, member of the political board of the New Times Party, went on a hunger strike near the Office of Prosecutor General. He had two demands: to provide medical aid to the НТ Leader Aram Karapetyan who has got health problems and to release him from the penitentiary. On May 16 law enforcers “visited” Hrachia Sargsyan. They hit him, stole his shoes and dismantled the tent. “I have been here since yesterday. I spent the night on a bench. I demanded to take Aram Karapetyan to hospital and dismiss the criminal case against him. My first demand was met. Today at about 1.00 some policemen headed by Colonel Taron Baghdasaryan forced me off the tent taking away my belongings. They tore the tent, hit me on the legs and hands. Five more women have joined the hunger-strike. We shall struggle to the end. They cannot tear off my soul and mind like my shoes.” The press secretary of the department of penitentiaries of the ministry of justice issued a news release today which holds that recently the information about the state of health of Aram Karapetyan who is in custody at the penitentiary of Yerevan Center is intentionally distorted. “Attempts are made to “prove” that no adequate care is provided to the person whose health is extremely bad, and he is held in custody without legal grounds, ignoring the state of his health.” The press service of the ministry of justice holds that Aram Karapetyan was regularly examined by the medical service of the penitentiary, as well as the special expertise the conclusions of which do not support the abovementioned suppositions. According to the press secretary of the department of penitentiaries, the group of doctors examined Aram Karapetyan and diagnosed “essential hypertension the II-III phase heart brain, coronary angioneurosis”. The medical group confirmed the conclusion of the medical service of the penitentiary that there is no need to take the patient to hospital. “The rumors and manipulations were probably caused by the private opinion of Docent Armen Gasparyan, a heart doctor, who examined Aram Karapetyan at the penitentiary on Aram Karapetyan’s request. Nevertheless, considering the necessity to prevent manipulations, as well as the petition of his lawyer, a decision was made to take Aram Karapetyan to Erebuni Medical Center for an additional examination. Armenian prosecutors moved on Thursday to prolong the pre-trial arrest of a prominent opposition leader allied to former President Levon Ter-Petrosyan despite a doctor’s warning about his deteriorating health condition. Armen Gasparyan, a cardiologist who examined Aram Karapetyan in prison, said the leader of the opposition New Times party will risk suffering a heart attack or stroke unless he is “immediately” hospitalized. Karapetyan was arrested on February 24 on charges of “false denunciation” stemming from the distribution of DVDs featuring his incriminatory questions to then President Robert Kocharyan and his incoming successor, Serzh Sargsyan. He challenged them to publicly explain whether they planned a controversial land swap with Azerbaijan in September 1999 and whether then Prime Minister Vazgen Sargsyan and parliament speaker Karen Demirchyan, who were assassinated shortly afterwards, opposed it. Karapetyan has denied the charges as politically motivated, saying that he did not explicitly accuse Kocharyan and Sargsyan of masterminding the killings. Nonetheless, the National Security Service (NSS) has refused to drop the case. NSS investigators petitioned a Yerevan court on Thursday to allow them to keep the outspoken oppositionist under arrest for two more months. The move came just hours after Gasparyan described Karapetyan’s condition as “very dangerous.” “He must be taken to a specialized cardiology clinic,” the doctor told reporters. “A delay would be very dangerous for his life.” Hrachya Sargsian, declared a hunger strike in support of this appeal outside the headquarters of Armenia’s Office of the Prosecutor-General later in the day. A spokesman for a Justice Ministry department managing Armenia’s prisons insisted, however, Karapetyan’s heart troubles are not grave and that he can receive medical treatment in the NSS’s basement jail downtown Yerevan. Arsen Babayan told RFE/RL that the department has nonetheless decided to form a special commission of its own medics and independent doctors that will look into Gasparyan’s claims. Karapetyan was already being examined by them on Wednesday evening, according to the official. Karapetyan’s arrest was part of a broader crackdown on the opposition launched by the Armenian government in the wake of last February’s disputed presidential election. Dozens of other Ter-Petrosyan allies were arrested following the March 1 clashes in Yerevan between police and opposition protesters. By the way because of the actions of the law-enforcers women also suffered. As a protest they declared that they are also going on a hunger strike in front of the Prosecutor General’s Office.
P.S. The press service of the ministry of justice holds that Aram Karapetyan was regularly examined by the medical service of the penitentiary, as well as the special expertise the conclusions of which do not support the abovementioned suppositions. According to the press secretary of the department of penitentiaries, the group of doctors examined Aram Karapetyan and diagnosed “essential hypertension the II-III phase heart brain, coronary angioneurosis”.