Many representatives of civil society, citizens, civil initiatives of Armenia raised a wave of public protests against mass illegal imprisonments and human rights violations in Armenia. “Sasnt Tsrer” humanitarian foundation, Yerevan, Armenia, “Mouvement du 17 Juillet” Association, Geneva, Switzerland, “Davit Sanasaryan” Initiative, Armenia have raised their voice in support of Hovhannes Harutyunyan sending letters to different international organisations urging them to help Hovhannes Harutyunyan. One of those letters is the following letter addressed to the President of the ICRC Dr. Peter Maurer:
Dear President of the ICRC Dr. Peter Maurer,
We acknowledge and greatly appreciate your tremendous humanitarian work and mission to protect victims of international and internal armed conflicts, including war wounded prisoners, refugees, civilians, and other non-combatants.
With this regard, we would like to bring to your immediate attention on a pressing matter of Hovhannes Harutyunyan, prisoner in Armenia, who has been denied the most needed medical care and surgery after being wounded by gunfire.
Such denial of medical care in case of this prisoner is equivalent to torture in the full meaning of the Geneva Convention against Torture, since the prisoner is gun wounded, without pain-control medications and not treated for over a month now. Thus, Hovhannes Harutyunyan’s human right to medical care and his right against torture are egregiously violated.
Hovhannes Harutyunyan was a member of “Sasna Tsrer” group, which, on 17th of July, 2016, seized the police district in Armenia. On 26th of July, 2016, Hovhannes Harutyunyan has been severely gun-wounded by the governmental law-enforcement snipers. Together with the remaining group, Hovhannes Harutyunyan eventually surrendered to the Armenian government and is currently held in the prison hospital.
However, at the prison hospital, Hovhannes Harutyunyan is denied the most needed medical care as a result of no doctors or nurses on duty. Such a denial of medical care should be viewed as a deliberated act, or as a gross negligence, at least; in both cases, it is a blatant and punishable disregard of human rights, as you imagine.
Specifically, Hovhannes Harutyunyan needs surgery on his legs to address and treat his serious gun wounds. However, despite such a critical medical need, no such surgery or treatment measures have been taken since the 26th of July and as of today. As a result, for the past three days (August 17-19), Hovhannes lost the sensations on his legs and the capacity of moving his toes. The aggravation of his medical condition shows that any further delay in providing the most needed medical treatment may be irreversible and may lead to the amputation of his extremities and even to death.
Moreover, Hovhannes is kept in total anti-sanitary and anti-hygienic conditions and is fraught with the high likelihood of Hovhannes’ developing numerous life-threatening infections and bacteria.
Finally, in view of his severe and persistent pains associated with the untreated gun wounds and the denial of anaesthesia or medication to alleviate the pain, Hovhannes Harutyunyan is subjected to torture in violation of the Convention Against Torture.
In view of this condemnable, inexcusable, and perhaps even deliberate inaction of the Armenian government, including the law-enforcement bodies and the Ministry of Health, we urge that the International Committee of the Red Cross – as an institution which is entrusted the mandate by state signatories of four Geneva Conventions and their protocols,of which Armenia is also a signatory, to protect victims of international and internal armed conflicts, to undertake immediate measures to remedy the situation and human rights violations with regards to Hovhannes Harutyunyan before it is too late; i.e.
(a) denial of his medical care to the prisoner
(b) his torture.
Please, help stop this deliberate or grossly negligent inaction by the Armenian authorities and help protect the life and health of Hovhannes Harutyunyan before it is too late.
Also, in view of the lack of proper sanitary conditions and technical equipment at the prison hospital, please intervene and ensure that his surgery takes place in a decent clean environment of civil hospital to prevent the development of life threatening infections and complications.
Time is of the essence for Hovhannes Harutyunyan! We desperately urge you to help him as soon as possible!*
Annex: “Hovhannes Harutyunyan is subjected to torture.” Hayarpi Sargsyan, 20th of August, 2016 https://newsbook.am/…
Translated to English:
Upon Hayarpi Sargsyan, counsel for the defense of one of “Sasna Tsrer” group member, deliberate actions are taken against her client.
“Every time they say: ‘We will do the surgery soon.’ Last time, they said they would do surgery by the end of this week. It did not happen. They say, “in about ten days, when the wound heals”. In any case, Hovhannes Harutyunyan’s condition is poor in the sense that he is not given pain-control medications and his dressings are not changed regularly every day. Yesterday, it was already the fourth day that a new dressing was placed. Besides, it has been already three days that he cannot move his toes.” Hayarpi Sargsyan stated in her interview with NewsBook.
The counsel informed us that today she spoke with the attending physician of Hovhannes Harutyunan.
“First, he was saying ‘it’s impossible: his bandages are changed every day; it’s impossible: he can move his toes.’ Then, when I insisted that I visited him and witnessed that, he said ‘you are impeding us in treating him, you are making a big deal out of nothing, do not call us anymore.’ I said, ‘You are his attending physician, I am his counsel, I will call’. In any case, the problem is, at the end the doctor said: though he cannot move his toes it will get better later; and it is not necessary to change his dressings every day’; this surprises me,” said the counsel.
Referring to her and Hovhannes Harutyunyan’s demand letter, Hayarpi Sargsyan mentioned that the letter was sent just for the record.
“I do not expect any response to it. I also stated in the demand that, in case the surgery takes place at the “Prison Hospital” rather than the civil hospital, and in case complications occur afterwards in Hovhannes Harutyunyan’s health condition, then the total responsibility will fall on the heads of the mentioned institutions. It will be viewed as a deliberate act and as torture,” mentioned our interview guest.
What is done to Hovhannes Harutyunyan now is viewed as torture by his counsel.
“I view it as torture because, let’s imagine he will indeed have surgery in 10 days, then why is he in pain every day, why is he not given proper pain-control medications, why are his dressings changed every 4 days; that is not normal. This means, there is no medical supervision. Analyzing what I see and what they say, I realize that deliberate steps are taken against Hovhannes Harutyunyan because their response was not convincing to me. Besides, they say doctors from “Erebuni” Medical Center are there. One day, Hovhannes Harutyunyan asked to change his dressing, but the doctor replied that he had no dressing on him. If the doctor has no dressing, then why is he there? They simply are not presenting the reality which is the result of those deliberate steps,” said Hayarpi Sargsyan.
As a reminder, Hovhannes Harutyunyan was injured on July 26 and was transferred to the hospital. Hovhannes was charged under the RA Criminal Code Article 219 Provision 3 Clause 1 and Article 235 Provision 3; as a detention measure, he was given jail-time pending trial.”
