Armenian journalist Nikol Pashinyan was the long serving editor in chief of "Haykakan Zhamanak" from 1999 until 2008 when Pashinyan went underground and then was imprisoned for his political activism․ On December 23, 1999 Pashinyan was beaten by a "gang" of dozen men who were reportedly led by a local businessman who was angered by an article in "Haykakan Zhamanak" that accused him of corruption.