"Beware, frenzied people work in parliament!" (video)
The Special Investigation Service has decided to quash criminal proceedings against a security official of the Armenian National Assembly who used violence against a journalist on September 9. “They [the SIS] argue that the security official hit [journalist] Marine Khachatryan only once which is not a crime,” says Daniel Ioannisyan, a representative of the Union of Informed Citizens NGO. Thus, the SIS made it clear for our citizens that people can commit violence with a single blow and go unpunished. “For example, if I go and slap the SIS chief, I shall not be made accountable.” Investigators refuse to open a criminal case based on the report of Daniel Ioannisyan. In addition, they explained that Marina Khachatryan had not suffered material damage and did not show her badge. “Does it mean that a journalist can be hit when she or he is not wearing a badge?” Ashot Melikyan, Chairman of the Committee for Protection of Freedom of Speech (CPFS), says the SIS took a cynical decision. He says it is typical of our investigative bodies and calls the political leadership’s attention to this fact. Mr Melikyan says the decision should be disputed, and if again the prosecutor's office fails to take steps, the journalist should go to court. A1+ Company is going to appeal the SIS decision. President of the Company Mesrop Movsesyan says he expected the SIS to make such a decision. “The only option that could be considered a legitimate form of solution was that they were to post on the gate of the National Assembly a poster reading, “Beware of frenzied employees working in the National Assembly.” Mr Movsesyan labels the incident as an act of hooliganism by the chief of the NA security, who prevented a journalist from carrying out her professional activities - people are usually tried for this. “We shall try to force the same investigative bodies to bring these people to justice.” On September 9, after members of the Hakaharvats (Counterblow) street art group hung a banner reading “Hello Rob” (Rob referring to Armenia’s second President Robert Kocharyan) on the National Assembly’s main gate, the chief of the NA security Karen Hayrapetyan came out and tore down the banner. Then he hit A1+’s journalist Marine Khachatryan, who was covering the incident, on the arm, causing her to drop her recording device - iPad - to the ground.
