Imprisoned journalist Pashinyan declares he has been beaten up in prison

Zarui Postanjyan, Deputy of the parliamentary fraction of "Heritage" party, visited Nicol Pashinyan, Editor-if Chief of "Aikakan Zhamanak" newspaper condemned in connection with post-election events of 2008, in prison. During the visit Pashinyan told her that at night when he was asleep two masked people wearing black clothes attacked him and started beating him up.

Hearing the noise the personnel of the colony entered the prison ward and Pashinyan told them what had happened. Pashinyan thinks that the men who attacked him had been from riot squad.

During her meeting with journalists Zarui Postanjyan said that she had also talked to other convicts who were in the same ward. All of them denied what Pashinyan had said, however, according to the Deputy, "that does not yet mean that the attack on Nicol has not taken place", Armenia Today reports. 

In a statement issued by Criminal-executive Department of the Armenian Ministry of Justice the information about Pashinyan's being beaten up in prison was called "one more false declaration".

"Medical examination has not discovered any signs of violence and the cellmates state that there has been no attempt of violence and some of them express an opinion that it had been one of Pashinyan's nightmares", Panorama.am quotes the statement of Criminal-executive Department of the Ministry of Justice.

In spite of the Ministry's statement that there has been no attack upon Pashinyan, the criminal-executive colony "Kosh" where Pashinyan is serving his penalty is currently carrying out an investigation on the journalist's statement, radio "Azatutiun" reports referring to Arsen Babayan, Press Secretary of Criminal-executive Department of the Ministry of Justice.