ALL ARMENIAN MEDIA ASSOCIATION CONDEMNS ACTIONS AGAINST JOURNALIST ARRESTED IN NEAR DNESTR
ArmInfo
2010-05-13 11:23:00
ArmInfo. The All Armenian Media Association expresses deep concern over
the political vengeance against Armenian journalist of Near Dnester,
Ernest Vardanyan.
According to the source, the video disseminated by the Ministry of
National Security of Near Dnester, in which Vardanyan supposedly
confessed that he had collaborated with the authorities of Moldova,
is apparently the result of assaults and threats. The journalist
had previously provided information about this in his announcement
in April.
The All Armenian Media Association condemns the imprisonment of
the Armenian journalist and calls on the law-enforcement bodies of
the Republic of Armenia to take advantage of their opportunities to
extenuate the pressures against Ernest Vardanyan. The association also
calls on Armenia’s Chamber of Advocates to take measures in order to
show necessary legal support to the Armenian journalist.
To recall, journalist Ernest Vardanyan arrested on 7 April 2010 in
Tiraspol by the Near Dnestr special services on the charge of treason
against the State and espionage in Moldavia’s favor. According to
official sources, he has admitted his guilt. His guilt admitting
statement was made on public television of Near Dnestr. Vardanyan
confessed that he had been enrolled by Senior Lieutenant Nikolay
Botezatu, an employee of the Information and Security Service
(department responsible for state security) of Moldova in 2001, when we
was a four-year student of the faculty of political and administrative
sciences of the State University of Moldova in Kishinev. Vardanyan
said he had been enrolled by the Information and Security Service
representative, as the latter was threatening to exclude him and his
wife from the University. Vardanyan said that one more employee of
the Information and Security Service of Moldova, representative of
Moldova to the United Control Commission, Ivan Lyakhu was also privy
to the enrollment.