Interfax, Russia
April 30 2009

Armenian news agency coordinator in intensive care after assault

YEREVAN April 30

Argishti Kivirian, a coordinator of the ArmeniaToday news agency, is
at the intensive care unit at the Erebuni medical center following an
assault at about 4:00 a.m. in Yerevan on Thursday.

"Kivirian was brutally beaten near his home early in the morning.

He is in intensive care with various injuries now. Doctors view his
condition as serious," Lusine Saakian, Kivirian’s wife, told Interfax.

Saakian said the attackers even shot at Kivirian, but he did not
sustain gunshot wounds.

Kivirian’s colleagues believe the attack was related to his work.

Kivirian coordinates the activities of the ArmeniaToday and Bagin news
agencies specializing on covering problems of the Georgian region of
Samtskhe-Javakheti populated mostly by ethnic Armenians.