COURT CONVICTS, SENTENCES JOURNALIST'S

UNCLAS YEREVAN 002325 SIPDIS SENSITIVE DEPT FOR EUR/CACEN, DRL E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PHUM PGOV PREL AM SUBJECT: COURT CONVICTS, SENTENCES JOURNALIST'S ASSAILANT REFS: A) YEREVAN 1878 B) YEREVAN 1925 This cable is sensitive but unclassified. Please protect accordingly. -------------- ASSAILANT SENTENCED TO JAIL -------------- (SBU) On October 11, the Court of First Instance of Kotayk region sentenced Gagik Stepanyan to six months in jail for assaulting two journalists. Stepanyan was convicted for roughing up Mkhitar Khachatryan, a photojournalist with the Photolur News Agency, and Aravot Daily reporter Anna Israelyan on August 24. The journalists were working on a report on environmental damage caused by construction in a resort area when the incident occurred (refs A and B). Prosecutor Koryun Piloyan demanded a six-month sentence for the defendant, citing a recent increase in crimes against journalists. The court agreed. (Note: The defendant, who was arrested on August 26, has served more than one third of his term in pre-trial detention and is already theoretically eligible for early release. End Note.) This is the first prison sentence for assaulting a reporter in Armenia. Media watchers have hailed this as a positive development. GODFREY