Statement of Asbarez Journalists Club on the arrest of "Haykakan Zhamanak" Daily journalist Hayk Gevorgyan
On 3 February, journalist for "Haykakan Zhamanak" Daily Hayk Gevorgyan was arrested and transferred to Nubarashen Penitentiary.
The official explanation of the police is that Hayk Gevorgyan had run over someone on 13 January, had left the citizen at the scene, had fled the scene and had been under persecution for ten days.
What is incomprehensible is
• How the police that eats up huge sums from the RA state budget and has tens of thousands of employees wasn't able to find "the persecuted" Hayk Gevorgyan for 10 consecutive days,
• On what grounds the police declared Hayk Gevorgyan's persecution when his location was known; he went to work in the same car every day, released articles and edited the newspaper every day, entered and exited with accreditation at all state institutions and participated in the government's sessions,
• Why no police officer didn't send a notification to Hayk Gevorgyan.
We consider "Haykakan Zhamanak" Daily's concerns that the police are fulfilling an ordered persecution in relation to this journalistic activities substantiated.
With this, Asbarez Journalists Club declares that the grounds for arresting Hayk Gevorgyan, who is a journalist that has criticized the authorities with his substantiated analytical articles, are phony, are similar to revenge and are aimed at restricting freedom of speech in Armenia through threats against other journalists.
In spite of the likely fact that this police intimidation is aimed at impeding the activities of "Haykakan Zhamanak" Daily and deepening the environment of fear in Armenian journalism, this subsequent attack against "Haykakan Zhamanak" Daily will be fruitless. The police were wrong in their calculations once again. As a result, the Republic of Armenia will have a low international reputation once again.
We, joining the demands of the free community of journalists, demand changing Hayk Gevorgyan's precautionary measures and releasing him immediately.
