Activist Vardges Gaspari holds protest over death of Artur Sargsyan (video)
Civil activist Vardges Gaspari was not allowed to stand in front of the presidential motorcade today. In this way, the civil activist wanted to express his indignation over the death Artur Sargsyan, nicknamed ‘the bringer of bread’, who died yesterday after a prolonged hunger strike “A police officer was standing near me, he tried to prevent me from getting nearer to the vehicle. Anyway, I managed to come nearer and stand in front of the motorcade with a poster in my hand. The policeman caught hold of me and we fell down together. The motorcade then diverted its way and passed us,’ Mr Gaspari told A1+. The activist blames Serzh Sargsyan for the occurrence and says nothing in Armenia happens without his knowledge. “It was a premeditated murder. The medical centre, prison and personally Serzh Sargsyan were aware of his poor health condition and deliberately killed him,” he said. If Artur had not been detained for a second time and had not started a hunger strike in protest of his detention, he would be alive today. Vardges Gaspari will return to the presidential residence tomorrow morning to continue his protest. 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.
