Armenia parties suspend election campaigns after “bread bringer” death

PanARMENIAN.Net – After the death of Armenian activist Artur Sargsyan, the Ohanyan-Raffi-Oskanian (ORO), Tsarukyan and Armenian National Congress – People’s Party of Armenia (ANC-PPA) blocs announced that they will suspend their election campaigns on Friday, March 17.

Sargsyan, who was being referred to by many as “the bringer of bread,” died on Thursday. He was staging a hunger strike for as many as 25 days before being released from prison on March 6. He was arrested in August 2016 and released in December for taking food to members of the armed Sasna Tsrer group who had seized a Yerevan police station. Then he was arrested again in February, 2017.

Sasna Tsrer (Daredevils of Sassoun) stormed a Yerevan police patrol department in mid-July and took everyone inside hostage. Throughout the following days, the group released the captives one by one. After negotiations that lasted for a little over two weeks, the gunmen agreed to surrender to law enforcement bodies. Three police officers were killed during this period.

Full story: panarmenian.net