Citizens bid farewell to Artur Sargsyan (video)
People are bidding farewell to Artur Sargsyan, nicknamed the ‘bringer of bread.’ 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 under an article dealing with negligent homicides resulting from inadequate medical aid. Many in Armenia blame the authorities for his death. They say he suffered from serious chronic illnesses and should not have been kept in detention in the first place.
