The health condition of lifer Aram Arakelyan has sharply deteriorated. A few days ago, he fainted in Armavir penitentiary institution. However, according to Aram Arakelyan’s mother, Rosa Arakelyan, her son was not given ambulance. He remained in the penitentiary for several hours, helpless.
“At 6:30 in the evening, he was finally taken to Vagharshapat hospital. There was no other doctor there except the doctor on duty. They gave him drip injection for 4 days, on the 5th day, when they had to continue the procedure, they said he should be taken to Yerevan to check the head. Of course, they did not take him anywhere: they took him back again to the penitentiary” the woman says.
Rosa Arakelyan says that Aram has recently been taken to Vagharshapat hospital for the second time and brought back to the Armavir penitentiary without any medical help.
The “Penitentiary Medicine Center” responds, on the principle of a broken phone, that it is a lie, that Arakelyan receives the necessary medical care, and on the question about what kind of medical care they will answer only if the convict gives a written consent and sends a written request.
It should be reminded that Aram Arakelyan, a lifer who has been in prison for 30 years, was paralyzed on the night of February 20. He underwent brain surgery. Doctors have diagnosed acute ischemic stroke, a disease that is on the list of diseases incompatible with government-approved detention.
Aram Akarelyan’s condition is getting worse day by day, but they do not want to release him.
In May, his lawyer, Robert Revazyan, applied to the Penitentiary Medical Center to examine his client and release him from further serving his sentence. He was told that Aram Arakelyan’s health condition would be discussed at the forthcoming sitting of the interdepartmental medical commission, and before that he should undergo a medical examination.
A month has passed, but no medical examination has been organized, nor has the commission examined the case of the lifer.
“My son had a stroke, one side of his face is frozen, his blood pressure is constantly fluctuating. A few days ago, he asked to be taken out of the cell to breathe fresh air. He came out of the cell and fell in the corridor. The detainees called a doctor. Somehow, they woke him up, took him away, and the next day he had more pain. Nothing has changed in his situation. When he goes to the doctor during his ordeals, they say, nothing has happened to you. They completely deny that my son is in bad condition. My other son came from Russia, went to see Aram, and said that he was in a very bad condition. I turn to Armavir doctor Gzhoyan, he shouts at me not to hinder his work.”
The court session on the issue of Aram Arakelyan’s early release is also delayed. Aram must have attended the June 15 sitting. He told his family that even if he died, he would go to court. However, the hearing did not take place because the penitentiary was unable to secure the convict’s transfer to the court. The next sitting is scheduled for a month later.
Rosa Arakelyan applied to the Ministry of Justice, the Human Rights Defender’s Office, and the Penitentiary Medicine Center to save her son’s life. The Medical Center does nothing, it was created only to oppose us,” the woman is indignant.
We asked Aram Arakelyan’s lawyer Robert Revazyan what he intended to do. He answered Forrights.am: “Aram has a constant problem. We were told by the Penitentiary Medicine Center that they had applied to the Ministry of Health for an answer and then discussion. The issue is ongoing, it just goes on and on; that’s the problem.”
Syuzan Simonyan