US embassy cable - 04YEREVAN2537

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 YEREVAN 002537 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPT FOR EUR/CACEN; DRL FOR W. SILVERMAN 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV, PHUM, KPAO, AM 
SUBJECT: OPPOSITION EDITOR'S CAR TORCHED, BLAMES 
PROMINENT BUSINESSMAN 
 
REF: YEREVAN 1148 
 
1. (U) Sensitive but unclassified.  Please protect 
accordingly. 
 
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SUMMARY 
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2. (SBU) November 22 at 20:40 (local time) the car of 
Nikol Pashinyan, Editor-in-Chief of the opposition 
newspaper Haykakan Zhamanak, burst into flame in front 
of his office.  Pashinyan is convinced that a prominent 
businessman perpetrated the crime in retaliation for 
negative press coverage.  Haykakan Zhamanak detailed 
this accusation in a front-page article published 
November 23.  The businessman denied the allegations 
publicly the same day; the police reported that 
mechanical failure caused the fire.  End Summary. 
 
 
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CAR DAMAGED BY FIRE, EDITOR MAKES ALLEGATION 
-------------------------------------------- 
 
3. (U) November 23, immediately after reading press 
reports about the destruction of his personal vehicle, 
we met with the Editor-in-Chief of Haykakan Zhamanak, 
Nikol Pashinyan, at his office.  His "Niva" (a 
relatively inexpensive Russian-made four-wheel drive 
vehicle)caught fire November 22 at 20:40.  Pashinyan 
said that he and his staff heard a loud noise and, 
looking through the window, saw the vehicle engulfed in 
flame. The fire department responded to their call, "as 
quickly as they could," he said, and doused the fire 
without any explosion. 
 
4. (SBU) We arrived for our meeting to find the car 
still parked by the front door of Haykakan Zhamanak's 
offices.  The vehicle, with melted tires, a broken 
windshield and charred exterior, evidenced severe fire 
damage.  The inside of the passenger compartment, 
however, appeared to have not been damaged by fire. 
 
5. (U) Pashinyan, in a front-page article on November 
23, accused one of the most prominent businessmen in 
Armenia and National Assembly member, Gagik Tsarukyan, 
of ordering the destruction of his car in retaliation 
for negative press coverage.  At a public event, with 
President Kocharian present, Tsarukyan denied 
involvement.  The Embassy has no evidence that would 
confirm this allegation. 
 
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Criminal Investigation Unlikely 
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6. (U) In a November 23rd statement at the Yerevan 
Press Club, The Committee to Protect Freedom of Speech, 
an umbrella organization for the Armenian press, 
denounced what they saw as an example of press 
intimidation and chastised the police for failing to 
properly investigate "similar incidents" in the past. 
They went on to demand a "serious and objective 
investigation." 
 
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POLICE:  SPONTANEOUS VEHICULAR COMBUSTION 
----------------------------------------- 
 
5. (SBU) November 24, the police officially reported 
that the cause of the fire was "the result of faulty 
wiring in the car's battery."  The police did not 
mention a criminal investigation.  (Note:  When we 
arrived at Pashinyan's office he was being questioned 
by police investigators.  They remained on the premises 
throughout our visit.  End Note.)  According to 
Pashinyan, the Deputy Fire Chief remarked while 
examining the blackened car, this "happens quite often 
naturally." 
 
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EDITOR PROCLAIMS PAPER "TOTALLY FREE" 
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6. (SBU) Energetic and edgy during our meeting, 
Pashinyan described the destruction of his car as a 
positive development.  "Thankfully no one was hurt, we 
survived this test, and now they know that we will not 
be deterred from publishing the truth by any thuggish 
action," he proclaimed.  Pashinyan stated that he does 
not fear any further acts of intimidation.  "Now I am 
confident we can report everything and talk about 
anyone.  We are totally free." 
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COMMENT: ROOM FOR SPECULATION 
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7. (SBU) Haykakan Zhamanak has a reputation for 
publishing unfounded stories that tend not to be borne 
out.  Pashinyan's allegation that the destruction of 
his car was an act of intimidation has not been 
substantiated.  That being said, there have been other 
alleged incidents of mistreatment of the press in 
Armenia recently (reftel).  The authorities' suggestion 
that Pashinyan's car died of natural causes is hard to 
swallow.  We will continue to follow this case closely 
and work to support press freedom in Armenia. 
EVANS