HAK: Regime unmasked its face
The Armenian National Congress (HAK) has issued a statement condemning yesterday's assault on a journalist of Yerevan-based Ilur website during a campaign meeting with incumbent mayor Taron Margaryan, who tops the candidates' list of the Republican Party of Armenia (HHK) in the May 5 municipal election.
"On Tuesday, Hakob Karapetyan was assaulted by a larger group of men in Yerevan's Nor Nork District who banned him from shooting the meeting. Margaryan's loyalists first demanded that the ‘alien journalist clear off' then they attacked him, kicking and tearing his clothes. They took away the camera from the journalist and erased the record. Karapetyan suffered injuries to his body.
The journalist managed to photograph the assailants. One of them was identified as Aram Papayan, the organizer of the campaign meeting, a HHK candidate in the upcoming City Council election. Throughout the incident the police officers stood nearby without interfering with the attack.
HAK strongly condemns the violence against the journalist and says it unmasks the true face of the regime led by Serzh Sargsyan and mayoral candidate Taron Margaryan. We hope that journalists, human rights activists, international organizations will express their opinion on the villainous assault," HAK said in the statement.
