A mere ten minutes after the follow open letter, addressed to RA Police Chief Gasparyan appeared in Hetq, the video in question was removed from YouTube. One can only guess as to who ordered its removal

Dear Mr. Gasparyan,

Video footage of the incident in which Heritage Party member Armen Martirosyan was taken into custody by police has recently appeared in the press.

It is evident that a member of the so-called police press unit recorded the incident.

This is not the first case when on-site video recordings are later made accessible to the press.

Thus, I would request that you clarify the following:

1. On what basis do the police provide the press with such recordings?
2. Do the media outlets pay for such video footage?
3. If so, what are the rates for the purchase of such recordings and how can interested media outlets apply to obtain them?
4. In the cited recording, an advert for www.MER-OJAX.com appears. Has the advertiser entered into a contract with the police, and if so, what are the stipulations involved?

Thanking you in advance,

Edik Baghdasaryan

Hetq Chief Editor

P.S. – Some 45 minutes after the video in question had been removed from YouTube, Police Department Public Affairs Head Ashot Aharonyan announced that the police hadn’t authorized the public dissemination of the video and that an investigation had been launched to locate its source.

Aharonyan added that the video had never appeared on the Police Department’s official website from which the press obtains video and photos at no charge. He said that media outlets can contact the police for other materials in their possession.