Opposition Journalist In Armenia Sentenced To Seven Years In Jail

A court in Yerevan has sentenced a leading opposition journalist to seven years in jail on charges of organizing the mass unrest that followed the 2008 presidential election, RFE/RL's Armenian Service reports.

Newspaper editor Nikol Pashinian was one of the most influential and passionate speakers at antigovernment protests by supporters of opposition leader Levon Ter-Petrossian in the wake of the disputed election.

Days after the February election, violence between opposition protesters and security forces erupted, killing 10 people and resulting in a three-week state of emergency in Yerevan and a government ban on independent reporting.

The new sentence would disqualify Pashinian from a general amnesty that was declared by the Armenian authorities in June.

On January 10, Pashinian -- despite being under arrest and on trial -- stood unsuccessfully as an opposition candidate in a parliamentary by-election.

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