IFEX – News from the international freedom of expression community
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ALERT – ARMENIA
12 June 2009
Journalists attacked at various polling stations
SOURCE: Glasnost Defence Foundation (GDF), Moscow
(GDF/IFEX) – At a news conference on 2 June 2009, the Committee to Protect
Freedom of Expression (CPJ) listed the instances of interference with
journalists’ professional activities as recorded during the latest election
of the Yerevan Elders’ Council (a local self-government body).
At polling station 9/01, the bodyguards of National Assembly deputy Levon
Sargsyan, swearing and resorting to force, ousted the journalists Goar
Veziryan (from "Chorrord Ishkhanutyun" newspaper), Tatev Mesropyan (from
"Hayk" neswpaper) and Marine Kharatyan (from "Zhamanak" newspaper). In the
process, they gave Veziryan several kicks and confiscated Kharatyan’s voice
recorder.
At polling station 8/01, Arthur Ovakimyan, a freelance reporter for the
newspaper "Haykakan Zhamanak", had just started taking pictures of young
men intending, according to him, to slip additional ballot papers into the
ballot box. The young men ran up to him, tearing away his camera and
confiscating his reporter’s badge.
Told by Ovakimyan that he was doing his professional job, one of the
attackers snapped: "My job is to break your head." The journalist was
compelled to leave. His camera was returned later without the memory card.
At 4:20 p.m. (local time) two dozen young skinheads were seen entering
polling station 8/05. According to reporter Armine Avetyan of the newspaper
"168 Zham", six of them grabbed her and Sonya Ayvazyan, an observer from
Transparency International, by their clothes and began to push them aside
towards the windows, while others encircled the ballot box and shoved
several stacks of unauthorized ballots into it.
They threatened Avetyan and took away her photo camera. They also used
force against Lilit Tadevosyan, a correspondent for the web portal Tert.am,
pushing her back and preventing her from using her camera.
Similar incidents occurred at polling stations 8/20 and 13/09. At polling
station 7/25, Nelly Grigoryan of the newspaper "Aravot" was attacked while
attempting to take a picture of a young man nicknamed "Boko of Noragyukh"
speaking with a representative of the Armenian National Congress.
According to Grigoryan, the young man grabbed her by the hands, tore away
her camera and left. The camera was later returned without the memory card.
Representatives of CPJ stressed that they had other facts at their disposal
signalling attempts to interfere with journalists’ professional work.
The office of Armenia’s Prosecutor General has published a press release
saying that it has been ordered to "monitor compliance with the established
procedure of analyzing information, including media publications, about
violations of the voting rules". It also announced the institution of legal
proceedings in connection with reported attacks on journalists and
observers, as well as throws-in of unauthorized ballots into ballot boxes
at polling stations.
The Special Investigations Service of the Republic of Armenia had been
appointed to investigate those incidents. Criminal proceedings had been
launched in connection with the attack on journalists at polling station
9/01, the press release said.
nalists_attacked/
For further information, contact the GDF at 4 Zubovsky Bul., room 432,
119021 Moscow, Russia, tel: +7 095 201 4420 /201 3242, fax: +7 095 201
4947, e-mail: fond@gdf.ru, Internet:
The information contained in this alert is the sole responsibility of GDF.
In citing this material for broadcast or publication, please credit GDF.
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