In Armenia, property of oppositional newspaper "Aik" arrested

The Agency for Enforcing Judicial Decisions (AFJD) of Armenia has imposed arrest on the property and money of the oppositional newspaper "Aik", as the press service of the Agency has reported.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported earlier that the Committee to Protect Journalists indicated in its report entitled "Attacks on Press in 2008" that in Armenia "before and after the presidential election in February 2008, held with plenty of violations oppressions of journalists and self-censorship in news media became stronger."

However, the AFJD asserts that in the case of the "Aik" newspaper the actions of court marshals were based fully on the requirements of the executive proceedings initiated by the court order received from the Yerevan Civil Court, as the "Interfax" reports.

The order prescribes, in particular, to arrest the property and money of the Limited Liability Company (LLC) "Aik Editorial Board" in the sum of 2.677 million drums (about 9000 US dollars) and to suspend the outlet of the newspaper.

According to the Ministry of Justice of Armenia, the arrest stems from the suit lodged by the "Gind" Printing House with a demand to pay the paper's debt by February 20. Meanwhile, the newspaper asserts that the debt appeared in late 2008, while in 2009 the paper made timely prepayments and undertook to cope with the debt in near future, as Radio Liberty reports. The "Regnum" Agency adds that the paper made a decision to change the printing house.

Until the problem is settled, the "Aik" will appear in its electronic version.