A correspondent for the Armenian service of RFE / RL (Azatutyun.am) covering Sunday’s municipal elections in Yerevan was assaulted by government worshipers after witnessing a distribution of money in front of a Republican campaign office (HHK) .
The journalist, Sisak Gabrielian, saw a group of citizens receiving money from another person shortly after leaving the office in the central Kentron district.
“Have you voted for Taron?”, A man asked them, referring to the outgoing mayor of Yerevan, Taron Markarian, affiliated with HHK. “Yes, we did,” one of the citizens said.
Gabrielian then went to the office and tried to interview HHK activists working there. Clearly surprised, they immediately hid their papers that were on a desk. One of them said that they shared pastry recipes with local residents.
Moments later, some of the young men began to verbally abuse and shove Gabrielian, who was forced to stop filming them with his cell phone. One of them hit the journalist with his hat.
Gabrielian then heard threats from another man, who presented himself as an affiliate member of HHK of the outgoing Yerevan municipal council. The man apologized to the journalist shortly afterwards.
HHK management did not immediately comment on the incident.
Gabrielian was assaulted while witnessing a similar cash distribution to voters in another HHK campaign office in Yerevan during the April 2 parliamentary elections. One man was later accused of hindering the “legitimate professional activities of a journalist”. The law enforcement authorities argued, however, that HHK claimed that the ruling party paid the “wages” of its local activists rather than buying votes.
The Armenian opposition and civic groups argue that the party headed by President Serge Sarkisian strongly depended on the purchase of votes to win the April 2 election. European watchdogs also cited “credible information on the purchase of votes”.
A spokesman for the HHK admitted on April 5 that bribes had been awarded by some candidates. But he insisted that they had not had a “substantial impact” on the election results.
Claire © armenews.com