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Thursday, 30 April 2009

Breaking news: Armenia Today news agency coordinator beaten and shot at in Yerevan early morning

Breaking news:

Reports that coordinator of Armenia Today news agency, lawyer and human rights activist Argishti Kiviryan beaten and shot at in Yerevan 5 o'clock morning local time. No other details known.

*Via Armenia Today and Regnum

*UPDATE: in comments section, photos - Hetq Online

15 comments:

Unknown said...

this is just horrible...horrible. My heart is absolutely broken!

Anonymous said...

vai Mika jan, es incher en katarvum? What is going on?

artmika said...

I may only assume that he is not killed, as they are using the wording "attempt".

Mamikon said...

I understand those people who are tired of Armenia. country is getting more criminal. no human right. no democracy

Unknown said...

Adrineh, just single, scattered incidents are becoming routine, i would say traditional in a country that has a parliament full of criminals, and ex-president, whose body guards beat to death a citizen for wrong expression or look....

Haik said...

... and a self appointed 'president' who came to power by killing at least 10 people ...
... kidnaping and beating oppostiion representatives during the elections...
... imprisoning over 100 people...
... intimidating over 5000 ...
... beating up and harrasment many more till today...

artmika said...

Update on Argishti Kiviryan, based on various news sources:

He is in serious but stable condition, with multiple traumas. No immediate danger to his life. He got shot at few times but miraculously and luckily escaped gun injuries.

He got attacked at the entrance of his house when coming back home from work at around 5 am. His work office is in the same building, next etrance. Eyewitnesses say there were 3 attackers.

artmika said...

His wife is a famous attorney Lusine Sahakyan, but many consider this attack to be connected to Kiviryan's own professional activities.

Anonymous said...

They have been severly beating up and killing people for a long time, now they are doing it to public people.

If people are being killed by police in the police quarter what else can be said about such country?
it is getting worse and worse...

Anonymous said...

Mika,
Have a look at Kornelig blog, pls...
Outrageous, maybe u will add that in English?

http://kornelij.livejournal.com/

Privatizirovannaya bol'nica otkazalas' prinimat' smertel'no ranenogo bol'nogo potomu kak glavvrach spal??!!

artmika said...

I know that according to Panarmenian news agency, initially, one of central Yerevan hospitals - which is private now - declined to admit him "because head of the hospital was asleep". However, Radio Liberty broadcast mentioned that Kiviryan was first transferred to that hospital, where he got diagnosed and then referred to Erebuni hospital. They did not mention anything about Kiviryan being refused admition for the reasons Panarmenian cited. Therefore, I will be careful in believing that news unless more confirmations come out.

Anonymous said...

"Lusine Sahakyan is an advocate for Gagik and Vardan Jhangiryan."

I think the atatck is actually on both of them...

Photos by Gagik Shamshyan.

Journalist who was beaten up takes pics of an editor who is beaten up.
Who is next on the black list?

artmika said...

Online journalist beaten by unknown assailants

Reporters Without Borders today voiced dismay after journalist Argishti Kivirian was brutally beaten by a gang of unknown assailants in the capital Yerevan, leaving him with very serious injuries.

“There has been a worrying upsurge in assaults on journalists in Armenia and this latest attack should be taken very seriously”, the worldwide press freedom organisation said, offering support to his family and calling on the authorities to do their utmost to find those responsible for “this cowardly and vile act”.

Kivirian, editor of the online news portal Armenia Today was set upon as he left his home this morning and viciously beaten about the head and body with wooden poles. He was taken for treatment at the Erebuni medical centre.

“His attackers also had firearms. We heard three gunshots and we dashed out of the apartment and went downstairs”, said the journalist’s sister, who was with his wife at the time. “Fortunately he wasn’t hit by bullets”, she said.

There was no obvious motive for the attack and the Armenian authorities said they had opened an investigation.

Lusine Barseghyan of opposition newspaper Haykakan Zhamanak, Hrach Melkumyan, bureau chief in Yerevan for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and Edik Baghdasaryan, editor of online magazine Hetq and chairman of the association of investigative journalists were all attacked in similar circumstances in 2008.

Armen Filadelfiatsi said...

Of course, this beating and, perhaps, attempted murder is reprehensible. But I don't know why it would be political: I've heard of plenty of newspapers, but Armenia Today is one I've never heard of. Maybe I'm just uninformed, but, right now, this beating seems to me to be non-political.

If anyone in the know could enlighten me about why this crime should be seen as political, I would appreciate it. To be more precise: What article did Armenia Today publish that threatened the government enough to want to seriously injure the publisher?

Anonymous said...

This is a warning!
The state is run by ex-soviet ruling type..The state "voices" are free..The opposition voice is lowered by some killings beatings and violance..
I think Armenia has at least 30 years..It is living the 1960 s in democracy...
But if armenians want a better future some armenians must pay the price...