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  • ARMENIA investigative journalist severely beaten remains in hospital

    IFEX - News from the international freedom of expression community
    ________________________________________ _________________________

    ALERT - ARMENIA

    20 November 2008

    Investigative journalist severely beaten, remains in hospital

    SOURCE: Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), New York

    (CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 19 November 2008 CPJ press release:

    ARMENIA: Investigative journalist severely beaten

    New York, November 19, 2008 - The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns
    the brazen attack on Edik Baghdasarian, the editor of the Yerevan-based
    online newsmagazine Hetq. Three unidentified men ambushed Baghdasarian on
    Monday outside his office and badly beat him. He was immediately taken to a
    hospital with a concussion, the journalist's son, Tigran, told CPJ. He is
    still recovering today.

    "We condemn this vicious attack on Edik Baghdasarian and call on the
    Armenian authorities to conduct their investigation thoroughly and bring
    his assailants to justice," CPJ Europe and Central Asia Program Coordinator
    Nina Ognianova said. "Authorities must not let impunity in attacks on
    journalists silence investigative reporting in the country."

    According to the U.S. government-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
    (RFE/RL), two men beat Baghdasarian as he was walking to his car at around
    8 p.m. on Monday. Baghdasarian tried to defend himself but did not see a
    third attacker who came up from behind, he told RFE/RL. The man hit him on
    the head with a heavy object, possibly a rock, and he lost consciousness,
    he said. According to international news reports, the assailants fled the
    scene when a policeman noticed the scuffle and fired a shot into the air.
    The attackers took only a computer disc with notes for the journalist's
    stories on it, RFE/RL reported.

    Baghdasarian is a prominent investigative reporter who also heads the
    Armenian Association of Investigative Journalists. He regularly covers
    corruption in the Armenian government. According to local CPJ sources, his
    most recent reports concerned corruption in the mining industry. He said he
    believes the attack is related to his work, but could not say who could be
    behind the incident, RFE/RL reported. Currently hospitalized, the
    journalist was not available to talk to CPJ.

    Armenia's authorities denounced the attack on Baghdasarian and pledged to
    investigate it. On Tuesday, Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan visited him in
    the hospital and assured him that prosecutors will investigate the attack,
    the independent Caucasus news site Kavkazsky Uzel reported. Armenian
    President Serzh Sargsyan's spokesman said the president urged the
    investigators to find those responsible. Today, Yerevan Police Chief Ashot
    Miridzhanian told independent news agency ArmInfo that he is personally
    overseeing the investigation and said police are talking to the officer who
    witnessed the attack.

    CPJ is a New York-based, independent, nonprofit organization that works to
    safeguard press freedom worldwide. For more information visit
    http://www.cpj.org

    For further information, contact Nina Ognianova (x106) or Muzaffar
    Suleymanov (x101) at CPJ, 330 Seventh Ave., New York, NY 10001, U.S.A.,
    tel: +1 212 465 1004, fax: +1 212 465 9568, e-mail: [email protected],
    [email protected] , [email protected], Internet: http://www.cpj.org/

    The information contained in this alert is the sole responsibility of CPJ.
    In citing this material for broadcast or publication, please credit CPJ.
    _____________________________________________ ____________________
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    555 Richmond St. West, # 1101, PO Box 407
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    Internet site: http://www.ifex.org/

    From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
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