Special services proved the opposite
The New York-based "Committee to Protect Journalists" is also concerned about the fate of Armenian journalist Ernest Vardanyan who was arrested by the authorities of Near Dnester.
"We are deeply concerned with the state of our colleague Ernest Vardanyan and demand his immediate release from the authorities of Near Dnester," announced European program coordinator of the "Committee to Protect Journalists" Nina Ognyanova.
The committee issued a statement after Near Dnester's special services broadcast Ernest Soghomonyan's testimonies of "confession" on local television.
"The nonsensical videos shown by the special services only confirm that the journalist has been under unprecedented pressure for a month since his arrest. We call on the authorities of Near Dnester and the international community to combine efforts to release Ernest Vardanyan," as stated in the statement.
Ernest Vardanyan was arrested on April 7 and is charged with treason and espionage in favor of Moldova. The charge foresees 12-20 years in prison and there is still no evidence for the charge.
The journalist is deprived of the right to have an attorney. On April 14, Ernest was able to issue a statement in which he stated that he was subjected to assaults, threats to his wife and children and was forced to give testimonies of confession.
After this statement, the authorities of Near Dnester broadcast Ernest Soghomonyan's testimonies of "self-confession" which led to today's statement issued by the "Committee to Protect Journalists".
