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HR Activist Beaten: Attack comes as Opp begin anti-govm't campaign

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  • HR Activist Beaten: Attack comes as Opp begin anti-govm't campaign

    ArmeniaNow.com, 2 April 2004

    Human Rights Activist Beaten: Attack comes as oppositional parties begin
    anti-governmental campaign

    By Julia Hakobyan ArmeniaNow reporter

    A well-known Armenian human rights activist remains in hospital, suffering
    wounds inflicted when he was attacked Tuesday morning in Yerevan.

    Mikael Danielyan, 45, Chairman of the Armenian Office of Vienna based
    Helsinki Association was attacked by four unknown men outside his home on
    Papazyan Street, while walking his dog. His assailants attacked Danielyan
    from behind, knocked him down, then kicked him until he lost consciousness.

    Petsos Babayan, doctor of neurological surgery department of Republican
    hospital where Danielyan was delivered says Danielyan's condition now is
    "generally stable."

    The physician says Danielyan did not suffer a concussion, however his blood
    pressure is dangerously high and doctors say such a shock could provoke a
    stroke.

    The Yerevan police has launched a criminal proceeding on the case, however
    so far there are no suspected. Detectives spoke with Danielyan on Thursday.

    Danielyan, one of the most active human rights defenders in Armenia believes
    that the attack was planned and organized by authorities in response to his
    criticism of human rights abuse in Armenia at the hands of officials. He
    qualified the violence against him as "state terror" and says that the
    authorities intended to frighten him.

    "Authorities might have hundreds of reasons to organize the attack on me,"
    Danielyan says. "I investigate many crimes, defend people who are persecuted
    by authorities, make reports for a number of Western human rights
    organizations."

    While Danielyan says it is still unclear for him what exactly of his
    activity, recent publications or statements might provoke the attack, the
    local media community gave the following versions of the attack trigger.

    Some say the attack on Danielyan was the aftermath of his recent remarks to
    the Azerbaijani newspaper "Echo", where he criticized President Robert
    Kocharyan and the Minister of Defense Serzh Sargsyan for their efforts to
    stop the opposition movement which has intensified in recent weeks.

    In answering the Azeri newspaper question of whether military exercises
    within the Armenian regular army mean that Armenia is preparing for another
    war with Azerbaijan, Danielyan reportedly said: "I think the exercises are
    connected with the ongoing rallies and protest of opposition. But if
    Kocharyan sees that taking harsh methods does not help he might make this
    step (to start the war) to make the opposition silent somehow."

    Some journalists speculate that the attack was organized by authorities to
    at least temporarily suspend Danielyan from his human rights activity in the
    period when the authorities will start mass arrests of opposition activists.

    Several members of the oppositional parties have already been arrested
    following the disorder at rallies in Gyumri last week.

    Danielyan does not rule out the possibility that the beating was meant to
    silence him. Danielyan's wife Anna Hakobyan says she is convinced that her
    husband's activity disturbs authorities and he was beaten for his criticism
    of the authorities human rights records.

    "I foresaw that something like that could happen," says Hakobyan, the head
    of the Armenian office of London based PEN organization for writers.

    "The pro-governmental media has recently intensified their dirty quibbless
    on Mikael. Based on it one can guess of authorities' attitude towards
    Danielyan."

    Hakobyan recalled the 2002 attack on journalist Mark Grigoryan who was
    seriously injured by a pipe bomb. Some say the attack was in response to
    articles Grigoryan wrote that were not pro-government. No arrests were made
    in the incident and Grigoryan has since moved abroad.

    "Danielyan became another victim of authorities' disfavor," Hakobyan says.
    "How many people should suffer to make clear that it all is ordered?"

    President Kocharyan commissioned the General Prosecutor to study the
    circumstances of the incident and undertake all possible steps to reveal the
    guilty.

    Meanwhile a number of journalists' organizations released a statement
    condemning the assault on Danielyan:

    "We consider that such violence is a consequence of an atmosphere of
    intolerance in the republic," the statement reads. "We hope that that the
    law enforcement bodies will break the sad traditions of the recent years and
    will find the organizers of the crime, since only punishment of the
    criminals can prevent further violence."

    ---
    http://www.armenianow.com
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