Armenian MP warns opposition podcaster’s health sharply worsened amid hunger strike

The health of detained Armenian opposition podcaster Narek Samsonyan has sharply deteriorated after he declared an indefinite hunger strike in protest against the extension of his pre-trial detention, an opposition lawmaker wars.

In a social media post on Friday. Tigran Abrahamyan, a member of the Pativ Unem faction, stressed that Samsonyan was brought to a recent court hearing in a wheelchair.

“For a person with existing health problems, 15 days of a hunger strike have led to severe consequences,” Abrahamyan said, citing heart-related and spinal complications. He added that Samsonyan also faces a condition requiring surgery.

Abrahamyan pointed out that Samsonyan launched the hunger strike after an “unjust and unlawful” decision to extend his detention by three months, accusing investigators, prosecutors and the judge of placing “political instructions above everything else.”