Doctor warns of Narek Samsonyan's worsening health on 12th day of hunger strike

Armenian political prisoner Narek Samsonyan entered the 12th day of a hunger strike on Tuesday, approaching a critical medical threshold as his body rapidly depletes vitamin B1 (thiamine), according to a physician monitoring his condition.

In a social media post, Dr. Kate Tairyan said Samsonyan’s thiamine levels have fallen sharply, raising the risk of serious neurological and cardiac complications. The human body does not synthesize or store vitamin B1, which must be obtained through food, she said.

Tairyan urged medical staff to encourage Samsonyan to accept vitamin supplementation even if he continues to refuse food, warning that prolonged deficiency could cause irreversible damage to the nervous and muscular systems.

She added that Samsonyan’s fat reserves are being rapidly consumed for energy and are typically exhausted around the 14th day of a hunger strike, after which the body may begin breaking down muscle tissue, including the heart and other vital organs.

Samsonyan launched an open-ended hunger strike is a protest against the extension of his pre-trial detention by three months last week. The doctor warned his life was in serious danger and called on political actors to take responsibility for his deteriorating health.