Armenian opposition member launches hunger strike in custody

Armenian opposition activist and former military intelligence officer Artur Avanesyan, better known as Kandaz, has begun a hunger strike while in detention, his party said on Wednesday.

Avanesyan, a member of the Strong Armenia party, was arrested on April 27 following a ruling by the Anti-Corruption Court. Prosecutors allege he and several associates attempted to bribe voters ahead of the June 7 parliamentary elections, promising jobs and other benefits in exchange for support. Four individuals have been charged under Armenia’s criminal code.

Party colleague Arega Hovsepyan said Avanesyan’s protest is aimed at denouncing political persecution and defending human rights. “We live in times when our heroes, a soldier of 30 years who was once the terror of the enemy, is now forced to go on hunger strike in an Armenian prison,” Hovsepyan said, drawing comparisons to Ruben Vardanyan's recent hunger strike in an Azerbaijani jail.