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POLICE ARGUMENTS FOR HAYK GEVORGYAN'S ARREST AREN'T CONVINCING, SAY MEDIA, HUMAN RIGHTS ORGANIZATIONS
epress.am
02.06.2012
The Yerevan-based Committee to Protect Freedom of Expression and
the Yerevan Press Club are indignant at the Feb. 3 arrest of Hayk
Gevorgyan, a prominent journalist and correspondent for local daily
Haykakan Jamanak ("Armenian Times").
"Surveying the information disseminated by Haykakan Jamanak and
the Armenian police regarding the incident that became cause for
the arrest provides grounds to conclude that choosing arrest as the
precautionary measure is devoid of sufficient legal justification,"
reads the joint statement.
The authors of the statement don't consider police arguments on
the need for arrest to be convincing: Gevorgyan was wanted by law
enforcement officials for more than 10 days, a period in which he
continued his professional activities and entered various state
structures, including the government building.
"Moreover, during this time, he had contact with the police
investigator - demanding that which is legally required, he [called] to
check why he is being asked to come in for questioning. The journalist
never received a clarification. Meanwhile, police insist that they
supposedly duly notified Hayk Gevorgyan. There's the impression that
conditions were intentionally created with the aim of using arrest
as the precautionary measure against the journalist.
"We demand that the precautionary measure chosen for Hayk Gevorgyan
be changed immediately, that he be released and that an impartial and
transparent investigation into the incident that occurred be ensured.
We call on the country's political leadership to take effective steps
with the purpose of excluding groundless persecution, accusations
and pressure on journalists and news outlets," reads the statement.
epress.am
02.06.2012
The Yerevan-based Committee to Protect Freedom of Expression and
the Yerevan Press Club are indignant at the Feb. 3 arrest of Hayk
Gevorgyan, a prominent journalist and correspondent for local daily
Haykakan Jamanak ("Armenian Times").
"Surveying the information disseminated by Haykakan Jamanak and
the Armenian police regarding the incident that became cause for
the arrest provides grounds to conclude that choosing arrest as the
precautionary measure is devoid of sufficient legal justification,"
reads the joint statement.
The authors of the statement don't consider police arguments on
the need for arrest to be convincing: Gevorgyan was wanted by law
enforcement officials for more than 10 days, a period in which he
continued his professional activities and entered various state
structures, including the government building.
"Moreover, during this time, he had contact with the police
investigator - demanding that which is legally required, he [called] to
check why he is being asked to come in for questioning. The journalist
never received a clarification. Meanwhile, police insist that they
supposedly duly notified Hayk Gevorgyan. There's the impression that
conditions were intentionally created with the aim of using arrest
as the precautionary measure against the journalist.
"We demand that the precautionary measure chosen for Hayk Gevorgyan
be changed immediately, that he be released and that an impartial and
transparent investigation into the incident that occurred be ensured.
We call on the country's political leadership to take effective steps
with the purpose of excluding groundless persecution, accusations
and pressure on journalists and news outlets," reads the statement.