CALL FOR THOROUGH INVESTIGATION INTO ASSAULT ON INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST

Reporters Without Borders
Nov 18 2008
France

Reporters Without Borders calls for a "prompt and exhaustive"
investigation into yesterday’s assault in Yerevan on Edik Baghdasaryan,
the head of the Armenian Association of Investigative Journalists
and editor of Hetq, an online newspaper published by the association.

"Such a violent assault on an independent journalist who covers
corruption and crime has been targeted is particularly disturbing,"
Reporters Without Borders said. "As prompt and exhaustive an
investigation as possible must be carried out as a matter of urgency
in order to identify his assailants."

Baghdasaryan was assaulted by three unidentified men as he was about
to get into his car at about 8 p.m. yesterday in Yerevan. They beat
him repeatedly and one of them hit on the head with a stone before
they all made off. He was admitted to St. Grigor Lusarovich hospital
for treatment.

In an interview for local TV station A1+, Baghdasaryan said his
assailants seemed to have been waiting for him and began their attack
without saying a word. A camera belonging to Hetq, the online newspaper
he edits, was stolen during the attack. After his assailants had left,
he requested help from a neighbouring apartment building.

Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan said he was "worried" by the attack on
Baghdasaryan after visiting him in hospital today. Sona Truzyan, the
spokesperson for the prosecutor-general’s office, said the incident
was being investigated as an "assault" under article 113 of the
criminal code.