In Armenia, university guards beat a well-known photographer

Today, at about 1 p.m. local time, Gagik Shamshyan, press photographer of the dailies "Aravot" (Morning) and "Chorord Ishkhanutyun" (Fourth Power), was violently beaten by the securities of the Valery Bryusov Yerevan Linguistic University right in the lobby of this higher school.

The "Caucasian Knot" correspondent reports that as a result of a quarrel that burst out between the photographer and guard named Karen Miridzhanyan the latter caused bodily injuries to Shamshyan. The journalist was hospitalized, and Karen Miridzhanyan was brought to the police.

In the morning on March 13, at the headquarters of the youth public organization "Miasin" (Together), a protest action was held by students of the Bryusov University, who requested data from the University managers about the teachers accused of bribe-taking.

After the action, several journalists wanted to meet the top managers of the Linguistic University; however, the guards said that they were not instructed to let journalists in. Then, a squabble burst out between security guards and well-known photographer Gagik Shamshyan, who wanted to enter the university building together with a group of students.

According to Mr Shamshyan, the guards were extremely aggressive: they tumbled him down on the floor and kicked him.

It turned out that Gagik Shamshyan received a number of serious bodily injuries, which resulted in abdominal bleeding. Radio Liberty journalists called an ambulance, and the doctor found his health condition as "medium gravity". Currently, the photographer is in the "Nairi" medical centre.

The securities of the Valery Bryusov Linguistic University refused to give comments on the incident.

Ombudsman Armen Arutyunyan and his office workers came to the hospital where Gagik Shamshyan is treated now. "The incident evidences the atmosphere of intolerance and impunity that has taken deep roots in our society. Beating of Shamshyan is a consequence of the fact that those who had beaten other journalists were not found and punished. Impunity is the problem," said the Ombudsman.