Agence France Presse
April 30, 2009 Thursday 12:50 PM GMT

Pro-opposition journalist attacked in Armenia: police

YEREVAN, April 30 2009

A journalist with a pro-opposition Armenian news web site was attacked
and badly beaten by unidentified assailants in the capital Yerevan
Thursday, police said.

Argishti Kivirian, an editor at the Armenia Today site, "was
hospitalised with multiple injuries and could not immediately give
evidence because of a grave health condition," the police said in a
statement.

Kivirian’s sister, Armenika, told AFP that assailants had used
baseball bats and had fired three gunshots, none of which hit her
brother, during the attack in the early hours of Thursday.

Armenia Today said in a statement that the attack was "linked with
Argishti Kivirian’s professional activities."

"Intimidation and threats cannot affect our determination to fulfil
our professional and civic duty," the statement said.

Numerous Armenian journalists have been attacked in recent years,
including the head of the country’s association of investigative
reporters, who was severely beaten last November.

The country’s ombudsman, Armen Harutunian, has raised concerns over
the attacks, saying they are evidence of a culture of "intolerance"
towards the media in the former Soviet republic.