On February 21 “Reporters Without Borders” (RSF) called for the punishment
of those responsible for attacking journalists as they were covering the presidential
elections on February 19, 2008. “The authorities must take these incidents seriously”,
the organization stated. “The journalists were simply doing their job”. As it
has been reported, on the day of presidential elections in Armenia in Yerevan
the cameraman of “A1+” TV company Hovsep Hovsepian, the correspondent of “Haik”
newspaper Samvel Avagian, the correspondent of “Haikakan Zhamanak” daily Lusineh
Barseghian were assaulted. On the latter incident criminal proceedings were
instituted by Article 149 of the RA Criminal Code (“Obstructing the right to
vote, the work of election commissions or implementation of the competence of
persons, involved in elections”). The investigation is made by the RA Special
Investigative Service (see YPC Weekly Newsletter, February
15-21, 2008).
On February 22 a statement on the cases of violence and intimidation and the
polling stations was made by Human Rights Watch international organization.
Human Rights Watch called on Armenian government to investigate the offences
against elections observers and journalists on the day of presidential elections.
The human rights organization also called on OSCE to look into election-related
violence and ensure that its final report on presidential elections in Armenia
records the incidents.
