Against appeals
Young opposition activist Tigran Arakelyan taken under detention on July 5, 2009, issued a statement on September 7.
"I have been held under arrest since July 5. I was taken to the Hospital of Convicts on July 15 after my health deteriorated from a blow to the head received by a police officer.
Though I am under the supervision of doctors and the medical personnel treats me respectfully, my health continues deteriorating, and it is already all the same to me at what point my health reaches a critical condition...
Let me mention that after my arrest and until this day, there has been no probe into the case, the bodies in charge of extending my custody have presented no solid arguments, though the court found the motion sufficient to extend my prison term for another two months.
"In this way, the administration finally proved that they are keeping me as a political hostage. I am being persecuted solely for my political views. I don't consider keeping me hostage as a criminal act committed solely against me, but against all youth and against a healthy public in general: from the very beginning, they hoped that they could silence or scare youth. But nothing worked and there's nothing left to do but to resign from using such methods.
"Apologizing to all my friends, Armenian National Congress and Armenia's President Levon Ter-Petrosyan, who keeping in mind my health, are urging me not to resort to such methods, I stick to my decision and resign from medical care: starting from 10 a.m., September 8, I will begin a hunger strike."
