MIKLOS HARASZTI ASKED ARMENIA TO SWIFTLY INVESTIGATE THE ATTACK AGAINST JOURNALIST

PanARMENIAN.Net
01.05.2009 00:56 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media,
Miklos Haraszti, asked the Armenian authorities to swiftly investigate
the brutal attack against Argishti Kiviryan, coordinator of the
Armenia Today information portal, who was severely beaten today,
OSCE official web-site reports.

"The lack of results into cases of violence against journalists creates
an atmosphere of impunity for the perpetrators and can provoke other
cases of violence against media workers," wrote Haraszti in a letter
to Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandyan and Prosecutor General Aghvan
Hovsepyan.

The Representative expressed concern over continuing violence against
journalists in Armenia referring to the unresolved cases of violence
against Lusine Barseghyan from the opposition newspaper Haykakan
Zhamanak; Hrach Melkumyan, the acting Chief of Radio Free Europe/Radio
Liberty’s Yerevan bureau; and Edik Baghdasaryan, the Chairman of the
Investigative Journalists’ Association.

"In light of today’s attack against Argishti Kiviryan, I once again
call on your authorities to swiftly and thoroughly investigate all
cases of violence against journalists, and also to publicly express
their firm commitment to ensure the safety of Armenian journalists."