Armenian opposition podcaster's health worsens during hunger strike, lawyer warns

The health of jailed Armenian opposition podcaster Narek Samsonyan has deteriorated sharply during his indefinite hunger strike, according to his lawyer and editor of AntiFake.am media outlet, Astghik Matevosyan.

In a social media post, Matevosyan said she had visited Samsonyan late on Wednesday evening, on the 13th day of his hunger strike while having spent 69 days in unlawful detention.

During the visit, she said Samsonyan experienced repeated episodes of dizziness, after which his condition worsened significantly and the dizziness persisted for an extended period.

A nurse was called to examine him and measured his blood pressure, Matevosyan said, adding that medical staff attributed his condition to the effects of the hunger strike.

“There is no clarity on how Narek spent the night alone in the punishment cell or what condition he will be in today, on the 14th day of the hunger strike,” she wrote.

The editor highlighted that Samsonyan has pre-existing health problems and requires urgent surgical treatment. He has been waiting for more than a week to be transferred to hospital, with no decision yet taken by the authorities.

Narek Samsonyan is the founder of AntiFake.am, which is critical of the Armenian government. He declared an indefinite hunger strike last week to protest the extension of his detention by three months. Samsonyan and his fellow podcaster Vazgen Saghatelyan have been detained on hooliganism charges through the use of information or communication technologies widely dismissed as politically motivated.