1. The Kocharyans against Haykakan Zhamanak Trial Delayed. On May 12 the Court of First Instance of Kentron and Nork-Marash Communities of Yerevan have delayed proceeding of the suit brought against Haykakan Zhamanak daily(HZH) by Levon Kocharyan, younger son of the RA Second President Robert Kocharyan, appointing it on May 21.
Tert.am reports that the reason the court session hasn’t been held was the writ sent to the participants without an exact mentioning of the place it had to take place. Coming to the Court of First Instance of Kentron and Nork-Marash Communities under the writ, the accused faced an announcement hung in the court building which said the trial would be held somewhere else.
In this respect lawyer Tigran Atanesyan of Haykakan Zhamanak has disseminated a statement noting that he has come to participate in the court session to the address mentioned in the writ, thus has asked Judge Arayik Melkumyan to henceforth make an additional and exact note on the place and time of the court session.As mentioned before Robert Kocharyan’s family has claimed 16 million AMD (US$43 500) from HZH for the damages against the good name of the RA Second President and the international image of Armenia(see also Armenian Media Digest, April 20-26).
1. The Kocharyans against Haykakan Zhamanak Trial Delayed. On May 12 the Court of First Instance of Kentron and Nork-Marash Communities of Yerevan have delayed proceeding of the suit brought against Haykakan Zhamanak daily(HZH) by Levon Kocharyan, younger son of the RA Second President Robert Kocharyan, appointing it on May 21.
Tert.am reports that the reason the court session hasn’t been held was the writ sent to the participants without an exact mentioning of the place it had to take place. Coming to the Court of First Instance of Kentron and Nork-Marash Communities under the writ, the accused faced an announcement hung in the court building which said the trial would be held somewhere else.
In this respect lawyer Tigran Atanesyan of Haykakan Zhamanak has disseminated a statement noting that he has come to participate in the court session to the address mentioned in the writ, thus has asked Judge Arayik Melkumyan to henceforth make an additional and exact note on the place and time of the court session.As mentioned before Robert Kocharyan’s family has claimed 16 million AMD (US$43 500) from HZH for the damages against the good name of the RA Second President and the international image of Armenia(see also Armenian Media Digest, April 20-26).
2. One More Journalist Fined at 350 000 AMD On May 14 the Court of First Instance of Kentron and Nork-Marash Communities of Yerevan decided to fine journalist Gohar Veziryan of Chorrord Ishkhanutyun at 350 000 AMD (US$950). Gohar Veziryan has been accused in insulting Judge Gagik Avetisyan at the trial of Smbat Ayvazyan, member of Political Council of the Republic Party August 6, 2008.
On April 17 photographer Gagik Shamshyan of Aravot and Chorrord Ishkhanutyun was fined again at 350 000 AMD (US$950) with an accusation of disrespectful behavior towards the court during the same trial on August 6. Both Shamshyan and Veziryan have stated they would appeal against the verdict at the Court of Appeal, and in the case of failure at legal instances of Armenia would apply to the European Court( see also Armenian Media Digest, April 09-19).
3. Pakagic Newspaper is not Published Iravunk reports that from May 15 the newspaper Pakagic temporarily will not be issued. But the editor-in-chief of Pakagic Agapi Haykazuni has encouraged the Pakagic readers to visit www.pakagic.am website of the newspaper in the course of the temporary forced break. Publishing house Gind refuses to publish the newspaper, reasoning its behavior by the unpaid debts of Pakagic. According to the court decision, the property and the bank account of Pakagic have been blocked since April 8. The newspaper’s staff is sure these being the regular attempts experienced by the authorities to close Pakagic.
4. Gun to Journalists: Consequences Analyzing police observations on allowing journalists to carry a gun, Zhamanak tried to forecast the future developments after gun permission afforded to journalists in May 14 article entitled as “We Would Turn Mountains, if we Join Our Guns”. The newspaper considers this to be an extra opportunity for the attacks on journalists to be more easily disguised and remain unrevealed. Zhamanak reports that gun’s possession by journalists will be a wonderful justification for those attacking on them. “They would say they have had no any intention to attack the journalist…
Noticing them, the journalist has supposed they were going to beat him, and to prevent the beating, he has started to shoot them; so to get defense against the unexpected attack of the journalist, they have assaulted on him and given a good beating.” After this it would be very difficult to accuse anyone in violence against a journalist, moreover, the journalist would have been caught with a gun in his hand.
5. OSCE Condemning Violence and Calling to Punish Perpetrators In the May 14 issue 168 Zham reports that Ambassador Sergey Kapinos, Head of the OSCE Office in Yerevan has announced that the recent repeated cases of violent assaults against media professionals have marred the current media freedom situation in Armenia. The OSCE representative has sent a letter to the law enforcement agencies of Armenia with an expectation that the law enforcement bodies will investigate the cases with new dynamism to find and punish perpetrators with speed and thoroughness that the cases deserve.
Ambassador Kapinos told that prompt disclosure of those standing behind the cases and bringing them to justice would prevent other such cases in future, create a safe working environment for journalists and help public fully and freely exercise their right to receive pluralistic information.
Source: JNews.am