OPPOSITION PAPER SUSPENDS PUBLICATION OVER ‘THREATS’
By Astghik Bedevian
Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
Feb 19 2007
A leading Armenian newspaper said on Monday that it is indefinitely
suspending publication, alleging threats to its staff stemming from a
bitter leadership dispute within an opposition party that controls it.
Hayk Babukhanian, editor-in-chief of "Iravunk," told RFE/RL that
he made the decision after being threatened by several unidentified
callers and a man who allegedly visited the newspaper office in the
morning. "He told us that our end will come soon," Babukhanian said.
"He left before we could understand who he is."
"Iravunk" is owned by the Union for Constitutional Rights (SIM),
a small opposition party that has been in turmoil ever since a
September congress during which Babukhanian and his supporters staged
a successful revolt against its longtime leader, Hrant Khachatrian.
The latter is refusing to concede defeat, saying that the congress
was marred by serious procedural violations.
On February 8 Khachatrian and dozens of his supporters unsuccessfully
stormed the SIM’s headquarters in Yerevan that also houses the
"Iravunk" offices. The violence ended only after police intervention.
Babukhanian claimed that the party and its paper, which is published
three times a week and boasts one of the highest circulation figures
in Armenia, have since been facing "political persecution." "The
newspaper will resume publication only if the security of its employees
is ensured and if political persecution of its founder ends," he said.
"Our numerous appeals to prosecutors and other law-enforcement
bodies remain unanswered. We were told [by other sources] that such
attacks will continue because they were organized by the country’s
top leaders," Babukhanian claimed, again accusing Khachatrian of
acting on government orders.
Khachatrian has strongly denied such accusations and questioned his
rivals’ opposition credentials.