
17
Apr 2018
Lvl. 2
State replied
Alert created on: 05 Oct 2017
n° 113/2017
Armenia
Armenian TV Station Editor Assaulted While Reporting on Road Building Project
Source of threatNon-state
CategoryAttacks on physical safety and integrity of journalists
On the evening of 28 September 2017, Narine Avetisyan, the chief editor of Lori television station in Vanadzor, Armenia's third largest city, was violently assaulted while filming the asphalting of a road in heavy rain. Local media and the Helsinki Citizens Assembly (HCA) Vanadzor human rights network reported that Tigran Nazaryan, the head of the Shinplus construction company, and some of his colleagues, assaulted Narine Avetisyan, throwing her to the ground and seizing the mobile phone she was using to film the work. Reports say the mobile phone was later found with the video images of the asphalting work deleted. HCA Vanadzor and the Yerevan Press Club have called on state prosecutors and other relevant authorities to investigate the case diligently and to bring those responsible to justice.
Narine Avetisyan has reportedly been attacked five times while on various journalistic assignments. In the first four cases she was reporting on corruption-related stories involving local officials and no perpetrators were so far identified or charged.
Narine Avetisyan has reportedly been attacked five times while on various journalistic assignments. In the first four cases she was reporting on corruption-related stories involving local officials and no perpetrators were so far identified or charged.
Additional Information
- Report by the Helsinki Citizens' Assembly Vanadzor Office: 'Updated information on the course of preliminary investigation into criminal proceedings initiated on interfering with ‘Lori’ TV editor-in-chief Narine Avetisyan’s professional journalistic activities-October 23, 2017'
- Report by the Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly - Vanadzor : 'Information on the course of preliminary investigation into criminal proceedings initiated on interfering with ‘Lori’ TV editor-in-chief Narine Avetisyan’s professional journalistic activities'
- Yerevan Press Club statement: "Statement regarding the use of violence against the Editor-in-Chief of “Lori” TV Company Narine Avetisyan"
- Statement by the Helsinki Citizens' Assembly Vanadzor: "HCA Vanadzor strongly condemns the violence against Narine Avetisyan, editor-in-chief of ‘Lori’ TV company"
State replies
Reply from the Armenian authorities
Reply from the Armenian authorities