Attack on Armenian rights activist “state terror”, wife says

Attack on Armenian rights activist “state terror”, wife says

A1+ web site
1 Apr 04

The chairwoman of the Pen club, Anna Akopyan, who is the wife of the
chairman of the Helsinki Association, Mikael Daniyelyan, has described
the violence against her husband as terror. “I expected it,” she said,
adding that the development was to be predicted from the publications
in the pro-government press.

She said that insults had been published against Mikael Daniyelyan,
but he had not responded as he would not stoop to that level.

Anna Akopyan said that Mikael Daniyelyan had described the accident as
“obvious state terror”. He monitors the authorities’ behaviour and
cannot neglect those in trouble. “In their time the Dashnaks were in
trouble, tomorrow it could be [President Robert] Kocharyan,” the
victim’s wife said.

At the same time she is sure that there are many who speak out against
the authorities now. “But why Mikael? Because he speaks harshly,
pulling no punches.”

Has a criminal case been instituted? “No. I call it state terror,
because it took me four hours to manage to bring policemen to the
scene. They came and found that Mikael was not able to speak and they
said they would come later. They have not yet come,” the chairwoman
of the Pen club said.

One of the journalists asked why this incident was politicized. “Are
not the examples of Mark Grigoryan, Nikol Pashinyan, A1+, Tigran
Ayrapetyan enough? How many examples like this do you need to
convince you that they are all ordered from above?” Anna Akopyan said
in conclusion.