Where will Artur Sargsyan be buried?
The Armenian Government will answer today whether Artur Sargsyan, nicknamed ‘the bringer of bread,’ will be buried at Yerablur Military Pantheon or not. On Friday, March 17, a group of activists held a march to the government building and delivered a letter to the executive body. In the letter, the activists demand that Artur be buried at Yerablur Pantheon next to the heroes of Artsakh war. About 30 activists spent the night at Liberty Square. Talking to A1+ Company, activist Shahen Harutyunyan said no one disturbed them at night. Artur Sargsyan, nicknamed the “bringer of bread” for taking food to members of the Sasna Dzrer group who seized a Yerevan police building last July and remained barricaded there for nearly two weeks, died on March 16 while being treated at the Armenia Medical Center. He died ten days after being released from prison following a 25-day hunger strike. Sargsyan, 49, underwent urgent bowel surgery at the hospital the previous night. Artur Sargsyan was first arrested last August for aiding the gunmen and released in December because of his deteriorating health condition. He was again arrested in February 2017 allegedly for not showing up in the hearing of last year’s standoff. Sargsyan began a hunger strike in protest against his detention. He was released from pre-trial detention earlier in March after six MPs from several political parties paid a bail for him in the amount of 3million drams. On March 17, Armenia’s Investigative Committee (IC) launched a criminal investigation into the death of Artur Sargsyan.
