One more inmate dies in Armenian prison - opposition MP

ArmInfo. An inmate hanged himself in the quarantine cell of the Armavir Penitentiary. Opposition MP Garnik Danielyan from the Armenia bloc reported this on his Facebook page.

He also reported that a group of inmates has declared a hunger strike  in response to the situation. "I've been talking about these horrific  statistics for months. In 2025, the number of deaths and suicides in  penitentiary institutions doubled. Furthermore, the number of  self-harm cases has increased," the MP emphasized. He explained that  the main reason for this situation is the inadequate provision of  medical care, which results in prisoners with serious health problems  becoming apathetic. "They are forced to wait for months, even those  in critical condition. I have repeatedly raised the issues of the  deplorable state of penitentiary institutions, the lack of basic  living conditions, medical services, and medications in the National  Assembly of Armenia. I have sent letters to the relevant authorities,  presented my proposals, and invited them to discuss them," the  opposition member added.

However, as Danielyan noted, the lives of compatriots imprisoned in  the "people's bastion" are of no value.  "Amnesty is also not  envisaged for them. Meanwhile, this will be one of the main steps  immediately after the change of power," the MP emphasized.

Meanwhile, journalist Roza Vardanyan reported that another prisoner,  Suren Muradyan, who has cerebral palsy, suffered a second stroke. She  recalled that Muradyan suffered a right-sided stroke and noted that,  due to indifference to the fate of prisoners, he suffered a second  stroke a few days ago, which resulted in the loss of function on his  left side. According to Vardanyan, this has left Muradyan completely  dependent on his cellmates: he is carried to the toilet, fed, and can  barely speak. "Another court hearing for the prisoner's case was  supposed to take place earlier, but it was postponed because Muradyan  was simply unable to appear," Vardanyan noted.

Moreover, according to the journalist, Muradyan's health periodically  deteriorates during court hearings, necessitating the need to call an  ambulance to the court. "However, despite this, on January 26, Judge  Arman Babakhanyan decided to extend Muradyan's detention until May 9.  Meanwhile, just a month ago, another prisoner died in the penal  institution; he should not have been there due to illnesses  incompatible with detention. This will remain on all of your  consciences: the indifference of the competent authorities is to  blame for the prisoner's second stroke," Vardanyan emphasized.  Armenian Ombudsman Anahit Manasyan also responded to the prison  situation, noting that, at her request, representatives of the Human  Rights Defender visited the Armavir prison without warning. "During  the visit, they held discussions with inmates, including those on  hunger strike. They reviewed the conditions for ensuring prisoners'  rights, including the right to health care, as well as relevant  documents and conditions of detention. The issues raised were then  discussed with the administration of the penitentiary institution,"  the Ombudsman's Office noted.

Manasyan declined to provide further information, noting that the  details of the visit are confidential and cannot be disclosed. "The  results will be summarized, and the competent authorities will be  required to provide the necessary clarifications on the issues  reported. Appropriate steps have already been taken to address some  of the issues," the Ombudsman's Office concluded. It should be noted  that suicides in penitentiary institutions have been a frequent topic  in the media recently. As of December 2025 alone, 23 deaths had been  recorded in Armenian prisons, eight of which were suicides.