YEREVAN. – Shant Harutyunyan, who was on a hunger strike for sixteen days, ended his hunger strike and ate food on Friday, the Armenian Justice Ministry Prison Department news service informed Armenian News-NEWS.am.

But Harutyunyan is still under medical supervision at the Prison Hospital, and he is in normal condition.  

The Prison Department news service also informed that it will be decided on Friday as to whether he will remain at the Prison Hospital, or taken back to prison.    

The United National Initiative leader and activist Shant Harutyunyan who heads a nationalist party, and who had announced about starting a revolution, on November 5, 2013—and with close to several dozen supporters wearing Guy Fawkes “Anonymous masks”—had started a march toward the Presidential Palace, but the police had stopped the march.

As a result, there was a scuffle, and the police detained 38 activists, including Harutyunyan and his son. Subsequently, 20 of them, including Harutyunyan, were arrested, charges were laid against six of them and, consequently, they were incarcerated. As a result of the melee, sixteen people, including police officers and the Armenian News-NEWS.am reporter, were injured.

Shant Harutyunyan was charged with violence against a representative—i.e., the police—of the authorities.