On January 31 RA Administrative Court revoked the suit of Nikol Pashinian, Chief Editor of “Haykakan Zhamanak” daily, versus “Kosh” penitentiary, as ungrounded. The plaintiff demanded to lift the disciplinary penalty, imposed on him on November 16, 2010.
As it has been reported, on January 19, 2010 Nikol Pashinian was found guilty in mass riots of March 1, 2008 in Yerevan, and sentenced to seven years of imprisonment. On March 9, 2010 the RA Criminal Court of Appeal, by applying an amnesty on Nikol Pashinian, cut down his unexpired term of imprisonment by half. In the early morning of November 11, 2010 in the mass cell of “Kosh” penitentiary, where Nikol Pashinian was detained, two men in black and in masks attacked the journalist and started to beat him; when Nikol Pashinian called for help, the strangers left the ward. After the incident, on November 16, 2010, the Chief Editor of “Haykakan Zhamanak” was lead to the isolation ward, while in the end of November – to “Artik” penitentiary. The Criminal Executive Department of RA Ministry of Justice explained the transfer of Nikol Pashinian to “Artik” penitentiary by “his numerous violations of detention conditions”, as well as the conflicts with other prisoners. Nikol Pashinian contested the November 16, 2010 “Kosh” penitentiary’s decision on transferring him to the isolation ward. The court hearings started on May 6, 2011 (see details in YPC Weekly Newsletter, May 6-12, 2011). On May 27, 2011 Nikol Pashinian was pardoned and released (see YPC Weekly Newsletter, May 27 – June 2, 2011).
