JOURNALIST ORGANIZATIONS OF ARMENIA DEMAND TO PUNISH THOSE VICTIMIZING THEIR COLLEAGUE

Noyan Tapan
May 22 2006

YEREVAN, MAY 22, NOYAN TAPAN. The Union of Journalists of Armenia,
the Yerevan Press Club and the Committee for Speech Freedom Protection
issued a joint statement on May 18, in which they demand to punish
those who committed violent actions against Narine Avetisian,
Executive Director of Lori TV company (Vanadzor), member of the Union
of Journalists of Armenia. According to the statement, some unknown
persons pelted N. Avetisian’s car with stones on May 16.

It was for a second time this year that violence was committed
against the journalist, and those guilty have not been found. The
statement says that as in the previous case, the incident occured
after N. Avetsisian criticized the local authorities. “We remind the
authorities of Lori marz and Vanadzor that preventing a journalist
from carrying out his/her legal professional activities is a crime
and we demand that the law enforcement bodies conduct an ojective
investigation into these and the previous facts and punish those
guilty, thus preventing any further violence,” the statemant reads.