Armenia's president declines comment on arrest of opposition journalist

YEREVAN, February 6. /ARKA/. President Serzh Sargsyan declined comments on the arrest of an opposition journalist, deputy editor of "Haykakan Zhamanak" daily Hayk Gevorgyan saying he would refrain form doing so until a court's ruling.

Hayk Gevorgyan, 45, a veteran correspondent and deputy editor of the daily, was taken into custody for running over a man and speeding away in the car last month. He was formally charged with serious injuries caused in traffic accidents. Gevorgyan was taken to the police headquarters in the city’s central administrative district and several hours later was transferred to the Nubarashen prison in Yerevan.

The alleged car incident occurred on January 13. Nikol Pashinian, the Haykakan Zhamanak's editor-in-chief, speaking at a news conference last Friday said the charge was fabricated and demanded Gevorgyan’s immediate release.

PashinIan said the accident was provoked and no "physical contact" between the car and the man, recognized as the victims, occurred. The deadline for appealing the arrest is February 6.

"Concerning the arrest of Hayk Gevorgyan, I will refrain from expressing an opinion until the decision of the court, which I hope will happen as soon as possible", Sargsyan said on Saturday during a meeting with representatives of the Council of Women of the ruling Republican Party of Armenia.

According to him, the law-enforcement authorities fight against crimes and identify persons allegedly committing crimes on a daily basis and this activity implies restrictions on the rights of an individual.

He said there are courts that are vested with authority to decide whether the police activity is not in violation of the law. He said such problems in any country with rule of law must be resolved in this way.

The largest extra-parliamentary opposition alliance, the Armenian National Congress, led by ex-president Levon Ter-Petrosian, issued a statement demanding the immediate release of Hayk Gevorgyan. The statement says the criminal case against Gevorgyan is fabricated, and he was imprisoned solely for his professional activities.

On Saturday, in an interview with Armenia Novosti news agency UN Resident Coordinator in Armenia Dafina Gercheva said that the Armenian media community should monitor the progress of this case to provide an unbiased coverage. -0-