A number of Armenian media announced an information boycott to the Chairman
of “Union of Armenian Aryans” party Armen Avetisian. The reason for the boycott
were the insulting statements made by the leader of Armenian Aryans during the
press-conference of January 19, given by public union “Against the Numeration
of People”. According to “Arminfo” news agency, Armen Avetisian “made an inadequate
response” to the question of journalists about the public promise made (but
never fulfilled) about revealing the list allegedly held of state officials
who are homosexual. “I refuse to answer the provoking questions of the sexually
perverted journalists and will only answer questions regarding to social cards
and individual data”, the head of Armenian Aryans said in particular, after
which some media representatives left the press-conference.
On the same day, January 19, “Arminfo” announced its information boycott to
the events of “Union of Armenian Aryans”. On January 21 “Aravot” daily stated
its joining the action. In the issue of January 22 “Aravot” reported that the
boycott of “statements and activities of a person, unable to behave properly
with journalists” was joined by “Ayb-Feh” weekly, www.a1plus.am web site and
“Taregir” Internet publication.
The statements and activities of Armen Avetisian were of interest to the law
enforcement bodies of Armenia, too. On January 25 the Public Relations and Information
Department of the RA General Prosecutor’s Office informed about the arrest of
the Chairman of “Union of Armenian Aryans”. The press release of the General
Prosecutor’s Office noted that Armen Avetisian “in his articles published in
press, TV and other public speeches, at press-conferences has repeatedly made
assessments that were humiliating, discrediting and insulting for representatives
of Jewish nationality, disseminated disreputing opinions, thus inciting national
hatred and hostility towards them”. Proceeding from the facts gathered, on January
21 the Yerevan Prosecutor’s Office instituted criminal proceedings and on January
24 it charged Armen Avetisian by item 1, part 2, Article 226 of the Criminal
Code (“Inciting national racial or religious hostility”). On the same day, January
24, Avetisian was arrested.
It should also be noted that “Union of Armenian Aryans”, headed by Avetisian,
was mentioned in the Report on Global Anti-Semitism in 2004, released by the
US Department of State on January 5. The section on Armenia of the report, among
other cases of anti-Semitism, tells about the calls of the party “for the country
to be “purified” of Jews and Yezidis”. In the same report the owner, the head
of “ALM” media holding Tigran Karapetian was also mentioned – as he “frequently
made anti-Semitic remarks on the air”.
