Aram Karapetyan's Health

[summarized from various news sources, including numerous articles from a1plus, armeniaNow]

There has been a flurry of very concerning news about Aram Karapetyan, chairman of the “New Times” Political Party, who was initially arrested on February 24th by masked law enforcement agents. While the exact day he began to have symptoms is unclear, numerous reports state that he has had chest pain, headache, and dizziness while in prison. It seems he was evaluated by the prison medical doctors, led by Professor Lusia Mikayelian, and it was decided he did not need to be transferred to a medical center. However, when Cardiologist Armen Gasparyan evaluated Mr. Karapetyan, he was concerned enough about Mr. Karapetyan’s health that he openly recommended transfer for further evaluation and treatment. Mr. Karapetyan was then transferred to Erebouni Medical Center on May 16.

On May 15, Hrachia Sargsyan, a board member of the “New Times” Political Party, began a hunger strike near the office of the Prosecutor General, demanding medical aide to Aram Karapetyan, and his release from prison. On May 16, he was beaten by law enforcement officers, who also destroyed the tent he had set up for his hunger strike. Some sources also report that women who were demonstrating were also beaten at that time. At that time, five more people (women) joined the hunger strike.

Mr. Karapetyan was found to be in hypertensive crisis, and to have many risk factors for heart disease, including a strong family history of early heart disease, glucose intolerance (pre-diabetes) or diabetes, exposure to smoking, and high blood pressure. Mr. Karapetyan was diagnosed by Dr. Gasparyan as having a septal and inferior wall myocardial infarction (heart attack) and is still under evaluation and hopefully, treatment.

Dr. Armen Gasparyan was not allowed to enter his workplace, Erebouni Medical Center, on May 16th. When Rostomyan, director of the Erebouni Medical Center, was interviewed, he denied that Gasparyan was a cardiologist at the Center, stating that there was no specific contract between the Center and Dr. Gasparyan though Gasparyan had claimed to be a cardiologist of the Center, but rather clarified that Gasparyan works at the [cardiology] deparment of the State Medical University, and that that department was merely situated at Erebouni Medical Center. When a1plus asked Mr. Rostomyan if Dr. Gasparyan had committed such a wrong as to be disallowed entrance to the Center, Mr. Rostomyan replied that he had not done so, and that only the head of Dr. Gasparyan’s unit could do so. He added that Dr. Gasparyan was lying when stating that just this morning, Gasparyan and Rostomyan had met, and Rostomyan had told him personally that he was no longer allowed at the Center because he cared for Mr. Karapetyan. When the Minister of Health, Dr. H. Kushkyan was asked about these events, Dr Kushkyan denied that any such events could have taken place.

The most recent news regarding Mr. Karapetyan’s health, as of writing this, is that he may need coronary angiography and intervention.