Suit brought against parliamentarian Rouben Hayrapetyan of the National Assembly by journalist Grisha Balasanyan of the “Hetq” periodical launched on April 6 in the Court of First Instance of Avan and Nor Nork Communities of Yerevan.

The reporter requires the court to oblige Rouben Hayrapetyan to apologize and pay monetary compensation for insulting his honor and dignity.

“The defendant has offended my client, displayed unacceptable interference towards his private and family life,” Balasanyan’s lawyer Vahe Grigorian stated in the court.

On February 2, when the reporter called Rouben Hayrapetyan on cell phone to come to an arrangement on an interview, the deputy first called him ignorant, then cursed, then added, “I did well.”

The plaintiff presented the court evidences, including the record of swearing by Rouben Hayrapetyan as a response to the reporter’s question.

However, MP Rouben Hayrapetyan’s lawyer Gevorg Gevorgyan announced that they object to the claim.

“Dear Court, we will exactly present our position on a trial. At this phase, I declare, we do not accept the facts, we do not accept the claim,” said the lawyer.

Read More »Journalist Demanding Rouben Hayrapetyan to Apologize

Opposition “Azadliq” newspaper reporter Ramin Deko said he was abducted and beaten because of his attendance at an antigovernment protest on April 2.

Deko said he was abducted on April 3 by men in plainclothes, taken to an unknown place, and advised to end his activity in the opposition protests. He said that on April 4 he was attacked again in the evening as he left work.

Deko told RFE/RL that after being accosted, he was advised “to be clever and not to take part in the opposition protests.” He said he escaped from the attackers.

Previously, “Azadliq” columnist Seymur Haziyev said he was attacked and beaten by unidentified men on March 26.

Interior Minister Ramil Usubov later met with “Azadliq” editors and said he would take personal control of the investigation into the attacks on the journalists.

Source: http://www.rferl.org/

Read More »Another “Azadlyg” Journalist Beaten In Azerbaijan

Dunja Mijatović, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, today asked Turkish authorities to bring the country’s media legislation in line with OSCE commitments on media freedom following the release by her Office of a study that shows 57 journalists are imprisoned in Turkey.

Read More »More Than 50 Journalists Imprisoned In Turkey

The meeting entitled “I am a newspaper” which was organized on April 2 in the “Akumb” complex was unprecedentedly crowded. It was an event from the series of Pecha Kucha meetings which means ‘chit-chat’ translated from Japanese.

This time Pecha Kucha proposed to chit-chat on issues regarding the media and the new media.

10 thematic presentations were represented during the event organized jointly with the “Internews” media support NGO. According to Pecha Kucha format each of the speakers had a chance to promptly, informatively and amusingly represent his/her speech along with only 20 pictures.

At this unofficial and entertaining evening the creative people shared their ideas, projects and opinions.

Specialists in the field of information technologies expressed conviction that social networks continue to develop and dominate upon the traditional media in Armenia. According to information technology expert Samvel Martirosyan this is in the case “when television has nothing to offer the audience except the soup operas”.

According to the speakers, audience of the traditional mass media is resolved and new associations and social movements are established through the Internet.

“Even people who are unaware how to use the Internet and what is the Internet are registered on social networks,” says Samvel Martirosyan.

Read More »Pecha Kucha Reffered to Issues of Armenian Media

Armenia’s second president, Robert Kocharyan, has filed a suit against Hraparak newspaper.

The editor-in-chief of the publication, Armine Ohanyan, told Tert.am that their office has been served a copy of the claim on Monday.

The claim filed with the first instance court of Yerevan’s Nork-Marash district, consisted of three clauses. Kocharyan demanded 6 million drams’ compensation (about $16,000) for a February 12 report. The court has put a lien on the newspaper’s bank accounts.

Ohanyan said that the former president has filed the claim breaching the one-month period envisaged by the legislation but it has not prevented the court from accepting it.

Ohanyan told Tert.am that the publication of the newspaper will continue and added that the issue of lifting the lien migth be considered at a preliminary hearing on May 10.

She said Kocharyan apparently seeks to have the newspaper closed.

“Kocharyan has decided to declare a war on print media to make everybody silent. But nothing in the article contradicts the facts,” she added.

Source: Tert.am

Read More »Kocharyan sues newspaper

Riot police seized protesters and pushed them into buses near Fountains Square in Baku, where the opposition had wanted to hold a rally but failed to receive approval from authorities.

One of the opposition leaders said after completion of the protest that about 1,000 people had taken part and more than 200 were arrested.

“Today’s protest has demonstrated that Azeri people want change and are ready to act for the sake of democracy,” Isa Gambar, leader of the opposition Musavat Party, told Reuters by telephone.

Police officials declined to comment on the arrests.

The police detained about 150 people at opposition rallies in Baku last month. The protests were inspired by unrest in the Middle East and North Africa, but analysts believe a revolt in energy supplier Azerbaijan is highly unlikely.

Hundreds of protesters, including members of opposition parties and activists, were trying to get to the square when riot police detained them.

Demonstrators shouted “Resign!” and “Freedom!” before members of the security forces began pushing people into buses.

Some of protesters had banners saying: “Ilham, go away!,” a reference to President Ilham Aliyev.

Gambar said there would be more such demonstrations.

“Our protests will continue. It’s not ruled out that the next rally will be held on April 9,” Gambar said.

Read More »Police break up opposition rally in Azerbaijan

An unpublished book written by jailed Turkish journalist Ahmet Sik has appeared on the Internet.

Quotes from “The Imam’s Army” were posted on Twitter, Turkish Milliyet newspaper reports.

Earlier it was revealed the book contains information about a religious movement existing in the Turkish police.

Journalist Ahmet Sik is accused of membership in Ergenekon, a secret terrorist group the aim of which was staging a coup through creation of chaos in Turkey. 

Source: News.am

Read More »Unpublished book of jailed Turkish journalist appears on Internet

The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Dunja Mijatović, condemned today a recent attack on a newspaperman in Azerbaijan and called upon the government to take urgent action to curtail violence against journalists.

“Azerbaijan’s authorities must take pro-active measures to prevent violence against the media,” Mijatović said. “Ensuring a safe and free environment for journalists is a key OSCE commitment and I must regretfully state that the government of Azerbaijan has so far failed to meet this requirement.”

On the night of 26 March six masked individuals abducted Seymur Haziyev, a reporter with the independent Azadliq newspaper, in a village near Baku. They reportedly put a sack on his head, beat him up and threatened him with worse violence if he continued to write critically about the government policies.

One of Azerbaijan’s main printed media outlets, Azadliq has been the target of repeated attacks and other forms of intimidation in the past, including imprisonment of staffers and contributors. Haziyev himself has been threatened and physically assaulted several times in recent years.

Read More »OSCE Media Freedom Representative Condemns Attack On Azerbaijani Journalist

Due to the damage of the mainline cable the subscribers of the leading Georgian internet service provider Caucasus Online are provided global Internet with delays.
Currently users can have access to the websites registered on the servers of local providers.

Reportedly the provision of global Internet will be resumed until 21:00 pm by Tbilisi time.

Caucasus Online would like make an apology to its subscribers for the inconvenience. 

Source: Media.ge

Read More »Global Internet Provided to Georgian Users With Delays

In the very center of Tbilisi a group of up to 30 young people held an action-performance against “low-grade” TV-shows.

At Shota Rustaveli monument the rally organizers placed a dummy TV set featuring a radiation symbol on the screen. On a piece of paper anyone had a possibility to write the name of the program they disliked and place it into the “TV set”.

According to the organizers Georgian TV space is filled with low-grade programs which distorts viewers minds and thinking. Through naming the irritating programs they took the “rubbish” back to “TV”. The slogan of the rally read as follows: “Don’t litter us!” As a part of the performance the participants washed the pieces of cloth portraying human brain.

The idea of the performance comes from Facebook members. The goal was to express protest against low-grade shows in Georgian TV-media in an unordinary way and support the production of TV programming based on the respect for human rights.

“Through this performance we wanted to tell the authors of TV programs that the criticism voiced against them on social networks belongs to real people. On the other hand we urged Facebook users to show discontent in real life instead of virtual space,” said Lasha Kvantaliani, co-organizer who refrained to name any specific TV program. 

Read More »Youth Holds Action-Performance against Low-Grade TV-Shows