May 27, early in the morning, family, colleagues and supporters of the chief editor of the “Haykakan Zhamanak” daily Nikol Pashinyan gathered in front of the Artik penitentiary waiting for Nikol’s release.
Pashinyan spent about two years in prison. Amnesty granted on the 20th anniversary of Armenia’s independece was applied also to him. As a result of the amnesty about 400 convicts will be freed until September 21, this year.
Source: JNews.am
Eynulla Fatullayev, a journalist and newspaper editor who had turned into one of the symbols of Azerbaijan’s crackdown on freedom of expression, walked free today after having spent some four years in jail.
Fatullayev was released along with dozens of other inmates after being pardoned by Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev.
His release was welcomed by many in Azerbaijan and also by international media groups that had for years campaigned on his behalf.
Speaking to RFE/RL less than two hours after being freed, Fatullayev said he believes those efforts played a key role in the government’s decision to set him free.
Fatullayev added that his unexpected freedom felt like “a miracle” that was difficult to understand.
“I’m still trying to [understand] the situation,” he said. “It’s a miracle for me. I couldn’t imagine it. It’s a real surprise for me.”
Fatullayev, editor of the now closed newspaper “Realny Azerbaijan,” was arrested in 2007 and sentenced to 8.5 years in jail on charges including tax evasion and instigation of terror.
Read More »Eynulla Fatullayev Released After Four Years In Prison
Journalists have been injured during the police raid at protest rally at Rustaveli Avenue early morning May 26. Law enforcers detained, beat, verbally insulted journalists and confiscated their photo and video cameras.
For example the police special forces members beat Netgazeti journalist Tamaz Kupreishvili.
Tamaz Kupreishvili: “Another journalist from Netgazeti Kote Stalinsky, one stranger and I were standing in front of the Student and Youth Palace beside the Parliament when the water cannons were shot at the protesters; this was followed by tear gas and rubber bullet. Rubber bullets were shot at our direction also. I was hit by one bullet. Kote and I ran towards the subway station Freedom (Tavisupleba). From that direction several officers of police special forces approached us. We started shouting: Press! Press! Despite that up to 15 masked persons surrounded us and started beating us with rubber clubs. I was telling the policemen I was a journalist and to stop beating me, but it did not work. They beat me on the head and legs. Finally one of the policemen dragged me out of there. I lost Kote Stalinsky in the process.
Leader of the Public Assembly Nino Burjanadze personally apologized to the Netgazeti journalist Tamaz Kupreishvili for the incident that happened between her son and the journalist, in front of the public broadcaster building after the clash between the protesters and police on May 22.
According to Netgazeti Nino Burjanadze met with Tamaz Kupreishvili late night May 22 in front of the public broadcaster building, the scene of opposition protest rally.
“What he (Anzor Bitsadze) did was a very bad behaviour. He himself said maybe something like that has happened because he thought you were an interior ministry officer. He said he is ready to personally apologize to you. By the way, I instantly reprimanded him when I noticed his harsh behaviour. He is a little aggressive towards journalists. It is not surprising considering the behaviour of some journalists. I personally apologize to you and when he (Anzor Bitsadze) meets you he will apologize also. He understand he is a son of a politician and must refrain from certain actions,” Burjanadze told the journalist.
Read More »Nino Burjanadze Apologizes to Netgazeti Journalist
The amnesty will be granted also to the imprisoned editor-in-chief of the “Haykakan Zhamanak” daily Nikol Pashinyan. The news was told about by the RA Minister of Justice Hrayr Tovmasyan on the TV channel “Shant” during the “Herankar” (Prospect) program. On Wednesday, May 25, commenting on the decision draft of amnesty at the National Assembly Tovmasyan referred also to Pashinyan.
On may 20 with a propasal to announce amnesty president Serzh Sargsyan applied to the National Assembly. On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of Armenia’s independence amnesty will be applied to those who have committed a crime until May 1, 2011 inclusive.
“400 convicts will be freed while about 400 others will have their prison sentences shortened,” says the Minister of Justice.
The editor-in-chief of the “Haykakan Zhamanak” daily is imprisoned for about two years, since July 2009. The decision on amnesty adopted by the National Assembly earlier, on June 19, was not granted to Nikol Pashinyan.
Pashinyan was wanted after the post-electoral events of 2008, and more than a year later, on July 1, 2009, he voluntarily surrendered to the law enforcement bodies. He was immediately arrested.
Public Broadcaster reacts to the protest rallies underway in front of its building and states that despite the attempts of the opposition forces to accuse the public broadcaster in biased reporting, the TV-channel does not intend to become an object of manipulation for any political group, furthermore that there are no precise, or evident arguments confirming such accusations.
Public Broadcaster gives opportunity to the opposition representatives to participate and express their opinion at 5 political talk shows being aired at the First Channel. News programs of the channel also daily report on the requests expressed at the protest rallies and the Second Channel of the public broadcaster broadcasts the protest rallies live without comment.
Public broadcaster intends to create and make available for public the high quality TV and radio programs, which will be free from current, or any other political influence. Our main principles – independence, unbiased reporting and honesty will not be questioned despite the attempts by any interested political forces.
Source: Media.ge
Read More »Public Broadcaster Statement on the Protest Rallies
According to the website Totalfootball.am, on May 23 the FFA Executive Committee held a session, the first section of which concerned the incident between the chief trainer of “Ararat” football club Arkady Andreasyan and photojournalist Ashot Arushanyan from Totalfootball.am. The FFA Disciplinary Committee had suggested the Executive Committee to recognize the club’s trainer Arkady Andreasyan as an undesired person in football.
FFA president Ruben Hayrapetyan asked the Executive Committee not to recognize Andreasyan as an undesired person in football and get limited to a warning, as well as to leave in force his disqualification from 10 games and the financial penalty up to 250,000 drams (about $670). The Committee unanimously accepted the proposal.
To recall, on April 23 during the half-time of a football match of the Armenian Premier League “Ararat” – “Pyunik” photojournalist Ashot Arushanyan was beaten by Arkady Andreasyan and his mates.
Source: Totalfootball.am
Translated by JNews.am
Read More »Arkady Andreasyan Not Recognized as an Undesired Person in Football
On June 13, the Supreme Court of Azerbaijan under the chairmanship of Judge Hafiz Nasibov will consider the appeal of the journalist Eynullah Fatullayev. The journalist’s lawyer, Elchin Sadigov, told Turan about this.
According to him, the appeal was filed in connection with the decision of the Baku Court of Appeals on January 25 to uphold the verdict of the Garadagh district court, which sentenced Fatullayev to 30 months in prison on charges of drug possession.
Fatullayev was convicted twice in 2007 to a total of eight and a half years in prison. In April 2010, the Strasbourg Court declared a violation of his rights and ordered his release. In November, the Supreme Court overturned the verdicts of 2007, but the journalist remained in prison on a new charge of drug possession brought against him in late 2009 Amnesty International considers Fatullayev a “prisoner of conscience”.
Source: http://www.contact.az
Read More »June 13 Supreme Court to Consider Journalist Fatullayev’s Appeal
Journalists are being detained, blocked from recording, insulted and journalistic materials are being taken away from at the protest rallies started in Tbilisi and Batumi May 21.
May 22 Netgazeti journalist Tamaz Kupreishvili was hit in the stomach with a flag-stick by Anzor Bitsadze, son of the former chairman of Georgian parliament Nino Burjanadze when he was trying to get a comment from Burjanadze on the incident taken place in front of the public broadcaster building.
“Nino Burjanadze told me to go and interview policemen and instantly her son hit me in the stomach with a flag-stick, although it did not hurt,” Tamaz Kupreishvili told Media.ge.
According to him, Burjanadze’s press service has contacted him saying that Anzor Bitsadze wants to meet him and apologize for the “misunderstanding” that has taken place.
News agency Interpressnews reported May 22 that an unidentified person in civil clothing took away the video-recording of the clash that took place at the Kostava Avenue in front of the public broadcaster building from their correspondent.
Interview with Grigory Shvedov, the editor-in-chief of the Internet news agency “Caucasian Knot”
The “Caucasian Knot” – a publication which has been covering events in the Caucasus for the past 11 years, is characterized also by the fact that it actively develops the opportunities of citizen journalism. According to the chief editor of the “Caucasian Knot” Grigory Shvedov, today it is important for the media to form civilian readers reacting to the materials. From May 17 to 19, at the invitation of the “Journalists for the Future” NGO, Grigory Shvedov was in Yerevan, where he held a master class for journalists, and also participated in the Regional Media Conference “New media: new opportunities of communication in the region”.
– There is an argued opinion that a civil society, which is formed today with the help of new media, has a somewhat passive character, as it is often limited to “Likes”. What do you think in this regard?
Read More »Grigory Shvedov: It is Harmful for the Media to Develop Tolerance