Edik Baghdasaryan ( hy, Էդիկ Բաղդասարյան) is a prominent

investigative journalist Investigative journalism is a form of journalism in which reporters deeply investigate a single topic of interest, such as serious crimes, political corruption, or corporate wrongdoing. An investigative journalist may spend months or years rese ...

known for his stories exposing government corruption in Armenia. He is the head of the Armenian Association of Investigative Journalists and editor of Armenia's only investigative journalism newspaper,

Hetq ''Hetq'' ( hy, Հետք, meaning ''The Trace'') is an online newspaper published in Yerevan by the Investigative Journalists NGO. It first appeared in 2001 in the Armenian language, and since 2002 it has been publishing in English as well. The ...

.''Investigative Journalist Attacked in Yerevan''
Armenia Liberty (

RFE/RL Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) is a United States government funded organization that broadcasts and reports news, information, and analysis to countries in Eastern Europe, Central Asia, Caucasus, and the Middle East where it says tha ...

), November 18, 2008. He is based in

Armenia Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ' ...

's capital

Yerevan Yerevan ( , , hy, Երևան , sometimes spelled Erevan) is the capital and largest city of Armenia and one of the world's oldest continuously inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerevan is the administrative, cultural, and i ...

. Edik is the editor in chief of Yerevan's independent newspaper Hetq.

Awards

In September 2008, Baghdasaryan won the 2008 Global Shining Light Award at the

Global Investigative Journalism Conference The Global Investigative Journalism Network (GIJN) is "an international association of nonprofit organizations that support, promote and produce investigative journalism." The association is headquartered in the United States, and its membership i ...

held in

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...

for his series of articles "The Minister and the Mining Sector," which revealed how Armenia's former Minister of Nature Protection

Vardan Ayvazyan Vardan Ayvazyan ( hy, Վարդան Այվազյան; born 7 November 1961) is the current Ecology Minister of Armenia Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of ...

had allocated mines (mostly for gold and poly-metallic) to more than a dozen relatives' names, thus violating several laws.''One of the International Investigative Journalism Prizes went to Edik Baghdasaryan''
Hetq Online, September 15, 2008. Apart from Yerevan he also studied at Moscow University and got a degree in TV Journalism.

Physical assaults and death threats

On November 17, 2008, Baghdasaryan became the target of a violent attack, which he believes is connected with his reporting. He was ambushed and beaten by three unknown assailants as he was getting into his parked car shortly after leaving his office in downtown Yerevan at 8 pm. Baghdasaryan said that the attack was unprovoked and that the assailants did not demand anything particular from him. Two people attacked him, dealing heavy blows to him, while a third person hit him behind the head with a large object, causing him to faint; they took off part of his clothing, leaving him half naked. The assailants fled after a security worker from a nearby construction site alerted by the quarrel fired a shot into the air. Baghdasaryan was hospitalized and suffered a head injury. In 2006, Baghdasaryan received threats via email following an article that criticized Armenia’s most powerful businessman

Gagik Tsarukyan Gagik Tsarukyan ( hy, Գագիկ Ծառուկյան; born 25 November 1956) is an Armenian businessman, politician, and former athlete. Tsarukyan is the founder and leader of the Prosperous Armenia political party. He also owns various large-sca ...

. The email threatened to kill anyone who offended Tsarukyan, whom the letter writer referred to as "king."

Notable articles

* The series on Armenia's mining sector and the corrupt activities of the former Minister of Nature Protection,

:
''How to make a million''

''Vardan Ayvazyan’s Business Project''

''An Apple of Discord Beneath Hankavan''

''Vardan Ayvazyan Has a Special Fondness for Goldmines''

''Secrets of Armenia’s Underground Resources''

''Vardan Ayvazyan is Again Given Green Light''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Baghdasaryan, Edik 21st-century Armenian writers Armenian human rights activists Armenian journalists Investigative journalists Living people Victims of human rights abuses Armenian victims of crime 21st-century Armenian male writers Place of birth missing (living people) Year of birth missing (living people) Date of birth missing (living people) Free Media Awards winners

Awards

Physical assaults and death threats

Notable articles

See also

References