Last week Media in Armenia actively covered cases of violence against journalists and the atmosphere of impunity in Armenia. The reason were cases of violence occurred against two journalists during a week-break period in Yerevan. A week later, on May 7, the April 30 violence against Argishti Kiviryan was followed by another one against SHANT TV anchor, 52-year-old Nver Mnatsakanyan. In both cases the attackers were waiting for the victims in front of the entrance of their buildings. According to the message disseminated by the police, Mnatsakanyan was beaten by two strangers, who escaped when neighbors responded to his calls for help. Fortunately he was not seriously injured and went home the same day after receiving medical aid at “Armenia” Medical Center.
According to Mnatsakanyan the attackers’ blows and pose certified on their athletic constitution. Mnatsakanyan ties the incident exclusively with his professional activity, as no other activity according to him he is engaged in. Hayots Ashkhar reports that Shant anchor felt the forthcoming danger linking it to Yerevan Mayor’s pre-electoral phase, when political aspirations heat day after day. Kiviryan’s case in National Security Service (NSS) Last week attack on Argishti Kiviryan continued to remain in the spotlight of the media.
Last week Media in Armenia actively covered cases of violence against journalists and the atmosphere of impunity in Armenia. The reason were cases of violence occurred against two journalists during a week-break period in Yerevan. A week later, on May 7, the April 30 violence against Argishti Kiviryan was followed by another one against SHANT TV anchor, 52-year-old Nver Mnatsakanyan. In both cases the attackers were waiting for the victims in front of the entrance of their buildings. According to the message disseminated by the police, Mnatsakanyan was beaten by two strangers, who escaped when neighbors responded to his calls for help. Fortunately he was not seriously injured and went home the same day after receiving medical aid at “Armenia” Medical Center.
According to Mnatsakanyan the attackers’ blows and pose certified on their athletic constitution. Mnatsakanyan ties the incident exclusively with his professional activity, as no other activity according to him he is engaged in. Hayots Ashkhar reports that Shant anchor felt the forthcoming danger linking it to Yerevan Mayor’s pre-electoral phase, when political aspirations heat day after day. Kiviryan’s case in National Security Service (NSS) Last week attack on Argishti Kiviryan continued to remain in the spotlight of the media.
Concerning this incident the newspapers inform that Kiviryan’s case has been transferred to NSS of RA.
According to Aravot sources, one of the reasons that the criminal case was transferred to NSS was that only bats, but not shells clearly seen in the photos, done by photographer Gagik Shamshyan, have been registered by the police investigators. Violence condemned Violence against Kiviryan and Mnatsakanyan has been condemned by the Ombudsman, as well as by representatives of numerous human rights and Media organizations of Armenia.
Here are some noteworthy comments:
In his editorial of May 8 Aram Abrahamyan, the editor-in-chief of Aravot, expresses his anxiety over the cases of violence against journalists so that these could become a common occurrence and the society would become indifferent towards it, which, Abrahamyan says, is the most awful thing. According to the chief editor of Aravot in the case the society stop rebelling, pay no attention to cases of violence, then an ideal situation will be created for the authorities. He considers the authorities being responsible for the unexposed violence. “And if the authorities don’t provide disclosure of violence against journalists, then it suits them the matter being settled by the criminals rather than by free citizens,” says the editor.
And the chief editor Hovhannes Galajyan of Iravunk recalled the cases of violence used against him (these remained unexposed too), noting that there is no legal guarantee for a journalist providing self-defense not to undergo criminal liability afterwards. Galajyan noted also that a few years ago a policeman advised him to carry a gun, as being a journalist is a very dangerous profession. Galajyan concluded his editorial by an idea that legislators should go ahead by initiating a kind of legal acts’ modification after which journalists will have a chance to implement “an effective self-defense without danger of being proclaimed as a perpetrator.”
In A1Plus issue of May 5 a human rights advocate Avetik Ishkhanyan, Chairman of the Armenian Helsinki Committee has told that “it is very dangerous to live in Armenia”. The human rights activist Ishkhanyan has qualified the violence against Kiviryan as the most severe one among those he had ever met. According to Ishkhanyan that “was an unprecedented retribution” related to his professional activity, “as Argishti Kiviryan couldn’t have any problem with anyone as a citizen,” concluded Ishkhanyan.
In its May 5 issue Azg newspaper represented the US Ambassador to Armenia Mary Jovanovich’s attitude towards the violence against Argishti Kiviryan. The Ambassador has noted with pain that, regarding violence, Armenia is still among not free countries and to prove her words she has cited the annual report on freedom of the media of human rights organization Freedom House. She has mentioned also that brave journalists struggling for freedom of speech deserve encouragement.
On May 6 Hayots Ashkhar quoted President of the Chamber of Advocates Ruben Sahakyan, of the Republic of Armenia, who reminded that violence against journalists, editors and lawyers started after the collapse of the Soviet Union. He recalled how brutally he, advocates Zhora Khachatryan and Rafayel Safaryan were beaten in 90s. According to the newspaper those crimes too are not yet revealed. Regarding the previous cases, when RA President Serzh Sargsyan entrusted to reveal the cases of violence, which however are not yet done (violence against Hrach Melkumyan, Edik Baghdasaryan, etc) Mesrop Harutyunyan, expert of Freedom of Speech Defense Committee, said during a press conference, “If every time charged and not revealed, then we don’t need formal statements; we need disclosure and not a charge for it.”
Source: JNews.am