Police officers visit Armenian journalist's home after podcast remarks

Police officers visited the home of journalist Syuzi Badoyan on Monday, Narek Samsonyan, founder of the news website AntiFake.am, reported.

Samsonyan said Badoyan was not home at the time, but neighbors reported that officers knocked on doors in the building, asking whether she lived there. He claimed the inquiry was conducted by a police division handling political cases.

The visit came shortly after Badoyan’s remarks on the Imnemnimi podcast, where she said she had received unverified information about drugs being offered to middle school students. Badoyan stressed she could not confirm the report and expressed hope that it was untrue.

Samsonyan accused authorities of targeting journalists instead of addressing rising violent crime in Armenia.

“People are being harassed simply for speaking on our broadcasts. What Syuzi Badoyan is facing is nothing short of persecution,” he said.