Rights activist beaten in Armenia

From Associated Press:

A representative of a leading human rights organization was beaten by assailants on Tuesday and blamed the Armenian authorities for the attack, which left him hospitalized in serious condition. Mikael Danielyan, the chairman of the Armenian Helsinki Foundation, was attacked by four assailants who cornered him in an alley near his home, according to his wife and the International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights.

Danielyan was knocked to the ground and beaten for about 10 minutes, the Vienna-based rights group said. It said it was "very concerned about (the) brutal physical attack" on Danielyan, who was hospitalized in serious condition. Danielyan, whose life was not in danger, said from the hospital that he blames the authorities for the attack, which came shortly after he criticized President Robert Kocharian in a published interview. Kocharian won a second term in presidential elections a year ago that sparked mass protests, including nearly daily demonstrations between the first round of voting in February 2003 and the runoff in early March. The opposition alleged widespread violations in both rounds of the election. Armenia's Constitutional Court confirmed the results of the presidential vote but suggested that a referendum be held within a year to gauge the public's confidence in the nation's leaders. Opposition leaders in the economically struggling former Soviet republic have pressed for the plebiscite, and have been planning for renewed protests against the Caucasus Mountain nation's authorities.

Posted by Matt on March 31, 2004 | TrackBack | Email to a friend