According to Radio Liberty yesterday President Serzh Sargsyan ordered law-enforcement bodies to promptly investigate an attack on the acting chief of RFE/RL’s Yerevan bureau that has drawn strong condemnation from Armenia media and press freedom groups. The journalist, Hrach Melkumyan, was beaten up by an unknown assailant in downtown Yerevan two days ago. Yesterday the Ombudsman of Armenia Armen Harutyunyan condemned the attack on the acting chief of RFE/RL’s Yerevan bureau Hrach Melkumyan. “During the past month the acts of violence against the journalists have become quite often. In this regard I have requested the law-enforcers many times to work consistently to reveal the culprits because the mentioned cases threaten the enforcement of the freedom of speech in our country,” reads the statement of the Ombudsman. “I keep holding the opinion that regardless of the journalist’s activity the violence against media must be stopped. The cases of complaint must be resolved at a different platform.” By the way yesterday the president of the Supreme Council deputy club Ruben Torosyan made a suggestion to form a council of defending the journalists’ rights.
