Crackdown ahead of polls in Armenia
The Armenian government has begun a ruthless
crackdown on its opponents on the eve of mayoral elections. The
authorities have ratcheted up their attacks on opposition parties,
political figures and journalists in past weeks.
Following the shooting unleashed at employees of the Armenia Today news agency, Nver Mnachatyan, a 52-year-old political commentator, was beaten in the building housing the Shant TV channel.
According to the news agency, Mnachatyan has been hospitalized and is currently in severe condition. Two individuals are said to have attacked the man. Political analyst Aram Sarkisian said these facts prove that the Armenian ruling elite continues pursuing "acts of terror" against its political rivals. "Unlike politicians, rank-and-file citizens face a higher chance of being subject to such terror acts any time, and the developments of March 1, 2008 are one of the graphic examples of this."
Violence escalated in Armenia following its February 19 presidential election. The opposition had refused to recognize the outcome of the election won by former Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisian, taking to the streets. Scores of people were killed, injured and arrested during the cruel crackdown on mass protests on March 1-2.
Following the shooting unleashed at employees of the Armenia Today news agency, Nver Mnachatyan, a 52-year-old political commentator, was beaten in the building housing the Shant TV channel.
According to the news agency, Mnachatyan has been hospitalized and is currently in severe condition. Two individuals are said to have attacked the man. Political analyst Aram Sarkisian said these facts prove that the Armenian ruling elite continues pursuing "acts of terror" against its political rivals. "Unlike politicians, rank-and-file citizens face a higher chance of being subject to such terror acts any time, and the developments of March 1, 2008 are one of the graphic examples of this."
Violence escalated in Armenia following its February 19 presidential election. The opposition had refused to recognize the outcome of the election won by former Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisian, taking to the streets. Scores of people were killed, injured and arrested during the cruel crackdown on mass protests on March 1-2.
Here we are to serve you with news right now. It does not cost much, but worth your attention.
Choose to support open, independent, quality journalism and subscribe on a monthly basis.
By subscribing to our online newspaper, you can have full digital access to all news, analysis, and much more.
Subscribe
You can also follow AzerNEWS on Twitter @AzerNewsAz or Facebook @AzerNewsNewspaper
Thank you!