April 30, 2009
Press Release

On April 30, 2009 early in the morning, Argishti Kiviryan, editor of the electronic newspaper Armenia Today and a member of the Armenian Bar Association, was severely beaten right in front of his house. Three unidentified people severely beat Kiviryan with wooden sticks and then attempted to shoot him. He received blows to the face, head, and feet. He was taken to hospital where he was admitted to the reanimation unit. Currently his life is not in danger.

This brutal assault against Argishti Kiviryan is not the only assault suffered by journalists. A number of journalists have been beaten and threatened during the course of their daily work. In November 2008, journalist and rights defender Edik Baghdasaryan was severely beaten and so far, the perpetrators of this crime have still not been found and brought to account.

We are deeply concerned regarding this event and the overall mood prevailing in the country, particularly as freedom of speech, one of the important tenets of democracy and a free state, is under threat.

We call upon RA President, Prime Minister, Chief Prosecutor and Head of Police to condemn this latest event and immediately take concrete action to find and prosecute the guilty parties.

About FIDH:
The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), headquartered in France, is an international non-governmental organization for the defense of human rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948. It is a nonprofit organization. Founded in 1922, it includes 155 national member organizations over 5 continents. The FIDH acts as a relay between its members and international authorities. To date, the FIDH has undertaken more than a thousand missions of investigation, trial observations, mediation, and training in some one hundred countries. FIDH enjoys consultative status with the United Nations, UNESCO, the Council of Europe, the International Labor Organization and observer status with the African Commission of Human and People’s Rights.