Azernews.Az

By Mushvig Mehdiyev

Journalists in Armenia refused to receive World Press Freedom Day congratulations on May 3 reasoning it with the violence they face while performing their professional activities.

"The deepest intolerance against journalists is observed in Armenia, especially when it comes to publishing materials about public figures and well-known politicians," said Gevorg Hayrapetyan, a lawyer from the Freedom of Information Center of Armenia.

"In many countries violence against journalists as a rule has some "reasons", while such cases in Armenia are beyond any reason. This is somehow characteristic to our country since officials don't like being photographed," Hayrapetyan told media on May 4.

Approaching the state officials or asking them for comments results mostly in traditional violent standoffs for journalists in Armenia.

The best example here can be an A1+ TV and RFE/RL’s Armenian Service journalist's scandal with a lawmaker in Yerevan when the latter directed insane threats to journalist. The brawl came after the journalist going on his duty asked for the legislator's comment on a certain issue in a cafe in Yerevan. In response, the public official intimidated the journalist "breaking his jaw" and later insulting him saying "get the hell out".

Article 164 of Armenia's Constitution envisages liability for the prevention of journalist's professional activity - from a fine to up to seven-year imprisonment. Hayrapetyan said that despite such legal provisions very few cases in Armenia actually end up with any vindication.

According to a survey conducted last year, police were shown as the main violator of journalist rights in Armenia. Dozens of cases of violence against journalists occur each year by the hands of police who are reportedly carrying out their professional duty. Investigators in Armenia opt to call off criminal cases on police brutalities linking to "lack of corpus delicti".

Iranian-Armenian journalist Bubik Minasyan believes that the majority of Armenian media are not free, which is due to the absence of sufficient criteria.

"The great part of print and online media and TV are not free in the country. The reason is that anyone can launch a news website for very little money," he said.

The Freedom House's latest report on press freedom ranked Armenia 135th among 199 countries. According to the report, Armenia has achieved a slight improvement in view of media freedom, but is still being categorized among those "not free" countries.

Journalists say the information in the report is enough for them to refuse the World Press Freedom Day celebrations.

The government in Yerevan has rejected any accusations to this regard, arguing such defaming reports on Armenia's poor media freedom as bias.

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