FORMER CANDIDATE’S AIDE ATTACKED

Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
June 11 2007

Police on Monday confirmed reports of an attack in which a former
parliamentary candidate’s aide received gunshot wounds and was later
brought to nearby hospital in an unconscious state.

Samvel Petrosian, 50, who had worked for former candidate in Echmiadzin
Hakob Hakobian, was reportedly hospitalized with gunshot wounds in
the abdomen in the early hours of the morning.

As of Monday evening, the police have established that the wounds
were inflicted by 39-year-old Armen Hovsepian. No further details
about the identity of the suspect or circumstances of the case are
released, as police investigation is continuing.

Hakob Hakobian stood as a candidate for parliament in a single-mandate
constituency just south of Yerevan, but was eventually disqualified by
court for forging signatures to secure registration with the district
election commission. He confirmed to RFE/RL on the phone that Petrosian
was one of the most active campaigners at his headquarters. According
to him, Petrosian had troubled relations with local police and
representatives of the rival candidate’s camp, who, he claimed,
several times tried to convince him to stop his activities.

"The investigation is still continuing, and I hate to interfere with
it. But if you ask my personal opinion, then I think yes, this attack
is linked with the elections, because he [Petrosian] complained to
us on many occasions that he had been receiving threats."

Hakobian fingers at the camp of the rival candidate, retired General
Seyran Saroyan, who eventually won the first-past-the-post race
after his main rivals dropped out of struggle at the early stage of
the campaign. Hakobian, in particular, mentions a person nicknamed
Ataman, who is a neighbor of Petrosian and a Saroyan associate. He
remembers his former campaigner mentioning several times the name of
Ataman and his overt threats during the campaign.

The election campaign in the town of Echmiadzin, where the holy see of
the Armenian Apostolic Church is situated, was marred by unprecedented
violence, including kidnapping, arson and armed assaults.