Epress.am News from Armenia
The Yerevan-based Committee to Protect Freedom of Expression and the Yerevan Press Club are indignant at the Feb. 3 arrest of Hayk Gevorgyan, a prominent journalist and correspondent for local daily Haykakan Jamanak (“Armenian Times”).
“Surveying the information disseminated by Haykakan Jamanak and the Armenian police regarding the incident that became cause for the arrest provides grounds to conclude that choosing arrest as the precautionary measure is devoid of sufficient legal justification,” reads the joint statement.
The authors of the statement don’t consider police arguments on the need for arrest to be convincing: Gevorgyan was wanted by law enforcement officials for more than 10 days, a period in which he continued his professional activities and entered various state structures, including the government building.
“Moreover, during this time, he had contact with the police investigator — demanding that which is legally required, he [called] to check why he is being asked to come in for questioning. The journalist never received a clarification. Meanwhile, police insist that they supposedly duly notified Hayk Gevorgyan. There’s the impression that conditions were intentionally created with the aim of using arrest as the precautionary measure against the journalist.
[…]“We demand that the precautionary measure chosen for Hayk Gevorgyan be changed immediately, that he be released and that an impartial and transparent investigation into the incident that occurred be ensured. We call on the country’s political leadership to take effective steps with the purpose of excluding groundless persecution, accusations and pressure on journalists and news outlets,” reads the statement.