H.E. Robert Kocharian
President
Office of the President
Marshal Baghramian St. 26
375077 Yerevan
Armenia

Fax: + (374 1) 521- 551 / 561-581/ 151-152

Vienna, 15 April 2004

Your Excellency,

The International Press Institute (IPI), the global network of editors, media executives and leading journalists in over 120 countries, condemns the 13 April attack on four Armenian journalists who were covering an opposition rally in Yerevan.

According to information provided to IPI, four journalists, Avetis Babajanian and Ayk Gevorgian, reporters with the opposition daily Aykakan Zhamanak, Levon Grigorian, a cameraman with the Russian television channel ORT, and Mher Ghalechian, a journalist with the opposition weekly Chorrord Ishkhanutyun, were beaten. Grigorian was knocked unconscious during the attack, and Ghalechian was taken to a police station after photographing security officers outside the ransacked office of the opposition Hanrapetutyun party. He was released later that evening after going on a hunger strike.

The protest rally that was organised by several opposition parties began on the evening of 12 April. Around 15,000 participants marched towards the presidential residence calling for a referendum on presidential rule. At 2 a.m. lights went out in the area and violence erupted. Police beat demonstrators and journalists covering the demonstration with batons, and used stun grenades and water jets to disperse the demonstrators.

This is the second assault on journalists covering an opposition rally this month. On 5 April police stood by while some two dozen unidentified assailants smashed journalists’ cameras, assaulted reporters, and destroyed film footage of the events.

With the above in mind, we urge Your Excellency to authorise an immediate and thorough investigation into these incidents and to do everything in your power to create an environment in Armenia that allows journalists to freely practice their profession.

We thank you for your attention.

Yours sincerely,

Johann P. Fritz
Director