On July 13 around 30 heads of media, journalistic organizations of Armenia and Mountainous Karabagh made a statement to support the Chief Editor of “Haykakan Zhamanak” daily Nikol Pashinian. As it has been reported, in the beginning of March 2008 Nikol Pashinian was announced wanted within the criminal proceedings, instituted on the events of March 1, 2008 in Yerevan. On July 1, 2009 Nikol Pashinian voluntarily surrendered to the law enforcement bodies. He was charged with Articles 225 (“Mass riots”), 316 (“Violence against a representative of power“) and 225 prime (“Organizing and holding of a pubic event with breach of order stipulated by law”) of RA Criminal Code. Nikol Pashinian received a preventive punishment of arrest (see YPC Weekly Newsletter, June 26 – July 2, 2009).
The amnesty, announced on June 19, 2009 by the ruling of RA National Assembly, has to be applied on Nikol Pashinian, stresses the statement. According to the ruling, the amnesty should be expanded on persons announced wanted, if they voluntarily surrender to the law enforcement bodies until July 31, 2009. The signatories called the authorities to release the journalist and continue the investigation within the charges brought against him. The authors of statement expressed their readiness to stand surety for the release of Chief Editor of “Haykakan Zhamanak” in terms of law.
