ARMAN BABAJANIAN HAS GONE ON HUNGER STRIKE

Noyan Tapan
Jul 23, 2007

YEREVAN, JULY 23, NOYAN TAPAN. Arman Babajanian, the editor-in-chief
of the "Zhamanak Yerevan" Daily, who was condemned to three and a
half years of imprisonment for evading military service, has gone on
a hunger strike.

According to the information provided to a Noyan Tapan correspondent
by Nikolay Baghdasarian, the defender of the journalist, in this
way his defendant is protesting against the July 19 decision of
the Commission on issues concerning early parole and serving one’s
punishment. He claims not be introduced with the grounds for rejecting
the application concerning early parole. According to the Commission,
the negative characterization has served as a basis for rejecting the
application. However, according to the personnel of the "Nubarashen"
penitentiary office, the characterization was a positive one,
otherwise, the penitentiary office would not submit that application
to the Commission.