Refuting police charges that he left the scene of a traffic accident, Haykakan Zhamanak reporter Hayk Gevorgyan told reporters today that such a thing “wasn’t even theoretically possible.”

Police had arrested Gevorgyan a few days ago and detained him for 72 hours, before releasing him yesterday.

He said that an incident did occur outside the Ministry of Economics on January 13, but that the police have blown it up out of all proportions.

After an interview with the ministry’s press spokesman, Hayk left the building and got in his car to leave. It had been parked on the street.

Putting the car into reverse, Hayk says he spotted a man in his rear-view mirror and figured it was one of those street attendants who give parking directions to motorists for pocket change. The man never approached for the 100 AMD so Hayk backed up his car a few centimetres. The stranger moved back. This went on for a minute or two.

Hayk, out of frustration, beeped his horn and the man moved aside. Hayk continued to back out of the spot and suddenly heard the man cry out, “Ouch, my foot.”

Hayk got out of the care and said he would call a policeman. The stranger said nothing so Hayk got back in his car and pulled away.

The reporter said today that he felt like something strange was happening at the time but put his concerns in the back of his mind. Now, he believes it was all a set-up by the cops.

Hayk also told reporters that the [police have yet to return his personal items – glasses, pen, recorder, phone and camera.

The reporter says he has no faith in Armenia’s courts given their close links with the police.

Hayk said he was willing to take the case to all the courts of the land in order to appeal to the European Court of Human Rights if need be.

He commented that while the work of reporters places them in danger, they are also better protected than the average citizen in Armenia, adding that the cops “can devour the common person in a matter of minutes.”