Argishti Kivaryan's relatives find investigation incompetent

PanARMENIAN.Net - "We'll kill you anyway," shouted the criminals assaulting Argishti Kivaryan , the journalist's spouse Lusine Sahakyan told a news conference today. "If assault perpetrators think they frightened us, they don't really know who we are," she said. Lousine Sahakyan was interested in three questions: where the bullets were, why the assault case was filed under Article 117 (Infliction of willful light damage to health) and not Article 33-104 (death attempt) of RA Criminal Code and why the investigation was conducted by assistant investigator. "I haven't turned to law enforcement agencies as I don't trust them. I think they are following us, and any information obtained may be used against me," Mrs. Sahakyan said.



In his turn, Rouben Sahakyan announced that a competent judge would not have filed case under Article 117 which requires a survivor's testimony. "It's a fundamental principle of jurisprudence which any competent lawyer is obliged to know," he noted, adding that the case should have been filed under Section 2 Article 104, i.e. assault for murder."



As noted by Mesrop Haroutyunyan, Deputy Chair of "Protecting Freedom of Speech" Committee, this is not the first time attack against a journalist or lawyer goes unpunished. Every time Armenian Government makes public statements on necessity of investigating the case, "but I don't remember a single case investigated fully".



On April 30 05:00 a.m., former lawyer Argishti Kivaryan, coordinator of Armenia Today news agency, was assaulted near his house. After beating the journalist, the attackers released gunshots in his direction.



Argishti Kivaryan was then moved to town hospital where medical staff refused to admit him. "After abortive requests to wake the chief physician up, the relatives took Kiviryan to Erebuni medical center where he was examined. Kivaryan is still in hospital. His life is out of danger.