Epress.am News from Armenia
Local online news source Hetq today sent a letter to RA General Prosecutor Aghvan Hovsepyan to report a crime, including with its letter an audio recording of its phone conversation with Football Federation of Armenia (FFA) President, Republican Party of Armenia MP Ruben Hayrapetyan. According to Hetq, the member of parliament blatantly hindered the legal professional activities of a journalist, as outlined in RA Criminal Code Article 164.
“Therefore, we ask that action be taken to subject MP Ruben Hayrapetyan to criminal liability,” reads the letter by Hetq.
Along with the letter is the recording of the phone conversation (burned on a CD) and the No. 4 (64) Feb. 3–9, 2011 issue of Hetq Weekly. Hetq is ready to provide the original recording if necessary.
Recall that, according to Hetq, Hayrapetyan insulted a Hetq.am journalist over the phone yesterday.
The journalist had called the Republican MP to find out what “moral losses” he had suffered after the statements published by another local Armenian publication, Haykakan Jamanak (“Armenian Times”). Note, Hayrapetyan is among 3 parliamentarians who yesterday filed a lawsuit against Haykakan Jamanak for moral losses suffered as a result of defamation.
According to Hetq, Hayrapetyan first asked whether the phone conversation was being recorded and when he was informed that it was, he uttered profanities of a sexual nature and added at the end, “Good that I did it.”