Three Charged With Hindering Reporter in Armenian Village

Three people were charged on Thursday with hindering Armday.am reporter Paylak Fahradyan in early October in the village of Shatin in Armenia’s Vayots Dzor province, the Investigative Committee reports, stating that a criminal case has been launched under Article 164.1 of the Armenian criminal code (hindrance to the legal professional activities of a journalist, or forcing the journalist to disseminate information or not to disseminate information).

On October 7, Fayradyan visited the Shatin village for an interview with the director of the local medical center Zoya Martirosyan. The meeting, which took place at a subsidiary building of the medical center, was also attended by Martirosyan’s sister, a family doctor who works at the same center. The husband of the latter, the head of the rural administration of the Karaglukh village. was also in the building at the time.

During the interview, Fahradyan asked Martirosyan about the medical center’s alleged practice of issuing medical certificates in return for a certain amount of money, which angered the director.

“The investigation revealed that Martirosyan and her sister had demanded that the reporter delete the video recording of the interview. She had then called in [her sister’s husband] to prevent Fahradyan from leaving the building until their demand was met, thereby obstructing his legal professional activities,” the Committee’s statement reads.