On May 12 the Public Relations and Information Department of the RA General Prosecutor’s Office communicated that two of attackers on journalists during an opposition rally of April 5 have been interrogated. According to the General Prosecutor’s Office, these are a resident of Yerevan, unemployed Ashot Avetisian, born in 1965, and a resident of Artashat city, unemployed Hrair Harutiunian, born in 1957. According to release, these people “made a complete confession and gave appropriate testimony”.
As it has been reported, on April 5 the media representatives were attacked by a group of “strong guys” while attempting to record them throwing eggs at the rally participants (see details in YPC Weekly Newsletter, April 2-8, 2004). On May 5, a month after the incident, the General Prosecutor’s Office informed about the transfer of the criminal case, instituted on April 8 by the RA Police, to Yerevan Prosecutor’s Office. A week after the public learned about the first steps of the investigative bodies. In this context it is important to note that right after April 5 the scene of the assault on one of the cameramen was shown on air, and the photographs of several “egg-throwers” were published in the press. Here a question arises: has it not taken the law enforcement bodies too long to identify only two of the attackers and interrogate them? Hopefully, having finally set off, the investigation will proceed at greater speed to find and punish people who exerted violence against journalists at duty.
