NO CRIMINAL CASE OPENED AGAINST EMPLOYEE OF STATE TAX SERVICE FOR ASSAULTING CAMERAMAN OF "GALA" TV COMPANY

Noyan Tapan
Dec 20 2007

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 20, NOYAN TAPAN. The cameraman of "Gala" television
company Grigor Shaghoyan on December 18 received a registered
letter dated "November 30", in which the police informed him that no
criminal case was opened in connection with the fact of assaulting
him. NT correspondent was informed about it on December 19 by the
headquarters on protection of speech freedom and "Gala" television
company. To recap, during checkings at "Gala" TV company on November 6,
the employee of the operative investigation department of the RA State
Tax Service (STS) Hovik Hovhannisian made an assault on the cameraman.

The headquarters stated that the assault on the cameraman on November 6
is an action, for which responsibility is envisaged by the RA Criminal
Code’s Article 164 Part 2 "Hindrance to the Legal Professional
Activities of a Journalist". The headquarters takes the view that
J. Kalashian, investigator of the Shirak regional investigation unit
of the RA Police Main Investigation Department, and K. Tovmasian,
the head of this unit, displayed intentional carelessness in not
finding corpus delicti in the actions of the indicated employee
of the STS. So the cameraman of "Gala" TV company and the person
representing his interests will dispute this decision according to
the current legislation in the Shirak regional prosecutor’s office.