In the early morning of January 17, 2011 in Vanadzor (Lori region) the car of the Chief Editor of “Lori” TV company Narineh Avetisian was set on fire. The journalist found this out in the morning, when she opened the doors of the garage. According to her, there were rags on the burnt body of the car, which were allegedly thrown through the ventilation hole of the wall. The head of “Lori” did not express any possible versions on the incident reason. Vanadzor Department of the RA Police of Lori region has instituted criminal proceedings on the case by Article 185 of RA Criminal Code ("Premeditated destruction or spoilage of property”).
On January 17 the Vanadzor Branch of Helsinki Citizens Assembly released a statement, considering the incident with Narineh Avetisian as another infringement upon a journalist, and demanded to find and punish the criminals.
It is already the third incident with Narineh Avetisian for the last years. On February 23, 2006 she was threatened by the owner of two lines of the city mini buses. The discontent of the entrepreneur was caused by the topic on ungrounded increase of city transportation fees, constantly raised by the journalist on the air of “Lori” TV. While, in the early morning of May 16, 2006 in Vanadzor her car was pelt with stones (see details in Report "On Freedom of Speech in Armenia" for 2006 on www.ypc.am).
