ARMENPRESS
OPPOSITION NEWSPAPER RESUMES WITH NEW CHIEF EDITOR AND
STAFF
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 23, ARMENPRESS: An Armenian
semi-weekly boasting the highest circulation has now a
new chief editor, Ms. Piruza Meliksetian, who has
replaced Hayk Babukhanian, evicted from the
newspaper’s office by police earlier this week.
In an editorial in today’s issue Hrant Khachatrian,
the long-time chairman of a small opposition party
called Constitutional Right Union, which owns the
newspaper called Iravunk, said the new staff has given
up what he called ‘the abusive style adopted by the
newspaper’s former impostor leadership."
"We are starting from scratch, because Babukhanian
and his henchmen have taken away everything- even my
personal documents," Khachatrian said.
According to Ms. Meliksetian, when they were about
to take the newspaper to the printing house late at
night a stone broke the room’s windows, but
fortunately it hurt no one. The turmoil in the party
that affected also the newspaper began last September
when the party held its congress during which
Babukhanian and his associates revolted against its
longtime leader, Hrant Khachatrian, and forced him to
resign. Khachatrian’s fellows took the case to the
court that ruled in their favor.
On February 8 Khachatrian and his supporters with
the court ruling in hand stormed the party’s central
office in Yerevan that also houses the "Iravunk," but
failed to get in. Their second attempt was successful.