Benik Harutiunian, Director of RA Balneology and Physical Medicine Research Center, dropped his lawsuit versus founder of “Zhoghovurd” daily, “Editorial Office of ‘Zhoghovurd’ Daily” LLC. As the March 13 “Zhoghovurd” editorial piece noted, according to an information released on March 7 by Press Secretary of RA Minister of Defense David Karapetian on behalf of Benik Harutiunian (who is also Advisor to RA Minister of Defense, Ed. Note), the latter one withdrew his lawsuit. The withdrawal was conditioned by the need of fostering media as a pillar of democracy, “Zhoghovurd” stressed.
As it has been reported, the reason for filing the court of general jurisdiction of Kentron and Nork-Marash administrative districts of Yerevan became the piece “The Doctor’s Adventures in the Goldfields”, published in “Zhoghovurd” on September 9, 2011. The article quoted the US citizen Nuneh Serobian, who alleged that she had a common business with Benik Harutiunian, and he refused to return her more than $ 200,000 she had invested. Benik Harutiunian demanded to oblige the newspaper to refute the information discrediting his honor and dignity, and pay him off 2,2 mln AMD (about $ 5,800), from which 2 mln – as a moral damage compensation and 200,000 – court costs. The court hearings started on November 29, 2011 (see YPC Weekly Newsletter, November 25 – December 1, 2011).
