Sayat Shirinyan dismissed from post: Haykakan Zhamanak

Head of the Police Public Relations Department of the Republic of Armenia Sayat Shirinyan was dismissed from office yesterday by the order of Chief of Armenian Police Alik Sargsyan.

“I am not aware of the reason of my dismissal, as I don’t discuss the orders of Mr Sargsyan,” Shirinyan told local Armenian daily Haykakan Zhamanak (Armenian Time).

However, the newspaper obtained information that Shirinyan was removed from post because of providing false “recommendation” in connection with the case against journalist Mariam Sukhudyan.

In February, 2009, Sukhudyan was accused of false crime reporting. During a press conference, Sargsyan called her a criminal; the same was later repeated by Shirinyan. The court dropped the charges against the journalist who later filed a moral compensation claim, demanding 1 million drams. Chief of the Police accused Shirinyan in that connection.