INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST ALLEGEDLY ATTACKED

UNCLAS YEREVAN 001878

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/CACEN, DRL

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PHUM PREL AM
SUBJECT: INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST ALLEGEDLY ATTACKED
OVER PHOTO

REF: YEREVAN 1148


1. (U) Sensitive but unclassified. Please protect
accordingly.

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JOURNALIST ALLEGEDLY ATTACKED
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2. (SBU) On August 24, two investigative journalists
alleged that they had been threatened and one of them
roughed up by unidentified men after they had
photographed the luxury home of the Deputy Chief of
Armenia's National Police. The journalists, Anna
Israelian and Mkhitar Khachatrian told the press they
photographed Deputy Chief Armen Yeritsian's house as
part of a report on environmental damage caused by
house construction. While touring an expensive
residential area, the journalists took a picture of
Yeritsian's house, despite a warning from a guard who
stood in front.


3. (SBU) According to the journalists, later that day
the same guard accompanied by several other men
approached them at a cafe. Khachatrian said the men
roughed him up and threatened to kill him if he didn't
back down. Khachatrian surrendered the photo card from
his digital camera. (Note: Khachatrian suffered
bruises and scratches that did not require
hospitalization. End Note.)


4. (SBU) According to press accounts, Khachatrian
described his attackers as "the same type of men" who
attacked photojournalists at two rallies in April
(reftel). Israelian, who was one of the journalists
attacked on April 5, told the press that she would not
lodge a formal police complaint because of the
"ineffectiveness" of the April investigation.

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PRESS CLUB WILL WORK WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT
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5. (SBU) The Union of Journalists and the Yerevan Press
Club publicly denounced the attack. We spoke with
Boris Navasardyan, the president of the Yerevan Press
Club who stated that a local media advocacy group wrote
a letter to the Prosecutor General's office in June
complaining about the recent attacks on journalists,
and he noted that this most recent attack would become
part of the discussion. He told us that the advocacy
group, known as the Media Working Group, plans to hold
meetings with top law enforcement officials in the
second half of September to discuss methods of
preventing and effectively prosecuting the perpetrators
of such attacks. Post will continue to monitor the
statements of the Media Working Group and the reception
its concerns receive from law enforcement.
EVANS