Following more articles about Public Enemy Oligarch No 1, MP and businessman Gagik Tsarukian (AKA Dodi Gago), Edik Baghdasarian — Editor-in Chief of Hetq Online, the publication I work for in Armenia — has received threats warning him not to publish any more.

In the last week, the Investigative Journalists has received a number of e-mail messages containing threats and vulgar invective sent to the mailbox of Hetq Online. The authors warn the staff of Hetq not to publish articles about Gagik Tsarukyan and threaten violence against us if we do.

On July 7, 2006 Edik Baghdasaryan, chairman of the Investigative Journalists and editor-in-chief of Hetq Online, submitted a request to Head of the National Security Service of Armenia Gorik Hakobyan to locate the authors of the threatening messages and apply any penalties prescribed by law.

It should be remembered that when Haykakan Zhamanak republished some of Hetq’s articles on Tsarukian in 2004, the car of Nikol Pashinian mysteriously exploded — even though it was winter. Of course, Tsarukian denied any involvement, but few believe him.

“It is possible that Tsarukyan lost patience after we published a story in a recent issue accusing him of illegally cutting down trees to build a villa in Tsaghkadzor,” Nikol Pashinyan told journalists. (The article was printed in Haykakan Zhamanak before appearing in Hetq-online.) “Tsarukyan knew, of course, that the chairman of the NGO Investigative Journalists of Armenia, Edik Baghdasaryan, is continuing his investigation of the matter the subject and that more articles are due in Haykakan Zhamanak. Besides, HZh is working on other material related to Tsarukyan’s business dealings, and he knew about that. Nevertheless, a question arises: What was the objective of this action? Without going into details, we can state unequivocally that the action was aimed at keeping the Haykakan Zhamanak staff in awe, at the least, and making sure that the newspaper ‘keeps within its limits.’”

[…]

We should point out that Hetq is continuing its investigation into the business that MP Gagik Tsarukyan conducts in violation of the law, about the crimes members of his entourage commit, and about the role his bodyguards played in the attack on journalists at the April 5, 2004 opposition rally in Yerevan.

I was one one of those journalists attacked by shaven headed thugs believed to work for Tsarukian. As such, I saw with my own eyes how the police frustrated and actually worked against bringing the perpetrators of the violence to justice. RFE/RL published news about this incident here and here.

Eyewitnesses, including an RFE/RL correspondent, say scores of police officers looked on as about two dozen thugs beat journalists and smashed cameras that documented their violent attempts to disrupt Sunday’s rally. The officers, among them the deputy chief of the national Police Service, ignored pleas to stop the rampage. The trouble-makers left the scene unimpeded.

[…]

Some media reports have identified the burly men with shaven heads as bodyguards of two millionaire businessmen with close ties to the government.

Anyway, these new threats are another escalation in attempts to silence the media ahead of parliamentary and presidential elections scheduled for 2007 and 2008. Unfortunately, it looks like the next round of elections will not be democratic. Their outcome will most likely be determined by powerful individuals such as Tsarukian.