Open Letter Regarding M. Malkhasyan

Several days ago, an open letter was published by, I think, Malkhasyan's family regarding his situation. The original is on lragir, below is the translation:

Myasnik Malkhasyan, a member of the National Assembly of Armenia and a  

veteran of the Karabakh War, has been in prison for six months. During  

the 2008 presidential election he was a supporter of Levon  

Ter-Petrossian. The freedom fighter was taken into custody on March 2  

and charged with articles 225/3 and 300/1 of the Republic of Armenia  

Criminal Code. The Office of the Chief Prosecutor has been trying to  

isolate Myasnik Malkhasyan from his electors at any price in order to  

block his influence on wide segments of the public.

The government of Serzh Sargsyan is not loathe to use even the

vilest and most lowly methods to eliminate its ideological opponent;  

apparently it has now adopted the path of eliminating political  

prisoners physically. As is well known, Serzh Sargsyan has followed a  

policy of harsh treatment and of fatal destruction of the health of  

those freedom fighters of the Karabakh War who stood with Levon  

Ter-Petrossian, freedom fighters whose health was already seriously  

damaged on the battlefield.  Myasnik Malkhasyan’s health has  

deteriorated seriously during the six months he has spent in prison  

and is now in critical condition. Myasnik Malkhasyan suffers from  

diabetes, a condition that has become more acute in prison and now  

requires laboratory tests and hospitalization. According to the  

European Convention on Human rights, the failure to provide  

appropriate medical assistance to those in prison and to replace  

imprisonment with other means of custody for those under pre-trial  

detention who are in ill-health constitute forms of torture.

Myasnik Malkhasyan, who sacrificed his life and health for the  

fatherland, is now being tortured in prison; and the decision by the  

Chief Prosecutor’s Office to reject bail or some other form of custody  

amounts to the death penalty, since his health is deteriorating day by  

day.

We address ourselves to you, Chief Prosecutor Aghvan Hovsepyan, and  

simply warn you that using physical weakness, using sickness with  

serious symptoms to eliminate an undesirable opponent, you are  

assuring that you are immortalizing your name by adding it to the  

black list of traitors to the fatherland. We call upon you to regain  

your senses, since it is not yet too late, and provide an opportunity  

to save the life of a hero of the Karabakh War. Myasnik Malkhasyan 

risked his life on the battlefield for you and your children as well.

Posted in Lragir, August 15, 2008