"Haykakan Zhamanak" newspaper issues a statement on its journalist`s arrest.

The Haykakan Zhamanak (Armenian Time) daily has issued a statement on its journalist Haik Gevorgyan’s detention. The statement reads:

“On February 3, 2011, at about 11:00 am, police, using strong-arm tactics, detained the well-known journalist Haik Gevorgyan and transported him to the Nubarashen penitentiary. He was not allowed to make a call nor did any official agency inform his relatives of his whereabouts.

“The policemen explained their decision to transport the journalist to the penitentiary by the fact that Haik Gevorgyan had been on a list of wanted since January 23, in connection with a traffic accident that involved his car.

“According to the RA Criminal Procedure, a person may be put on a list of wanted if his or her whereabouts are unknown or he/she is an absconder,” says the statement.

Both before and after January 23, Mr Gevorgyan continued his everyday activities, driving his car, covering the Armenian government’s sittings and top-ranking officials’ press conferences.

Mr Gevorgyan also had several telephone conversations with the investigator and stated his readiness to appear if he was legally summoned to the police. The investigator was informed of the whereabouts of Mr Gevorgyan’s car. Mr Gevorgyan proposed that his car be examined, but his proposal was rejected.

The developments suggest that the police are prosecuting one of the key staff members of the newspaper by order, his journalistic activities being the reason, says the statement.

On January 12, 2011, following the government sitting, Mr Gevorgyan attended a press briefing of Chief of Armenia’s police Vladimir Gasparyan. The journalist asked Mr Gasparyan a number of pointed questions. Later, the newspaper published a disgraceful article about the police chief. The article dealt with a number of facts about Mr Gasparyan, which were not commented on by the journalist.

The same day, а running-down accident involving Mr Grigoryan’s car was attempted. The attempt failed due to Mr Grigoryan’s attentiveness, says the statement.

Later developments do not leave any doubts that Mr Gevorgyan’s detention was ordered by Chief of Armenia’s police Vladimir Gasparyan. The reason must be an article published in the February 3, 2012, issue. The article dealt with a G Mercedes owned by Mr Gasparyan, which is worth $120,000 to 150,000.

The editorial staff of the Haikakan Zhamanak newspaper states:

1. Haik Gevorgyan’s detention is a fact of persecution by the political Establishment, particularly by Chief of Armenia’s police Vladimir Gasparyan. The aim is taking reprisals against Mr Gevorgyan and preventing his further activities.

2. Vladimir Gasparyan, as well as other representatives of the political Establishment aim at impeding the Haikakan Zhamanak newspaper’s activities, intimidating all the Armenian journalists that have no problems in making public the information on corrupt officials.

The newspaper demands immediate release of Haik Gevorgyan.