One of the oldest Russian-language magazines in Armenia – “Literary Armenia” – is in a very poor condition today. The magazine which used to have 10,000 copies a month, is now published quarterly in 500 copies.

The “Literary Armenia” was founded in 1958 and it is published till now. Editors-in-chief in different times were poet and playwright Gurgen Boryan, the author of the two-volume edition “The Silver Age” about Kilikia history Michael Shatiryan, Gevork Emin and others. Since 1973, in the head of the magazine stands poet and translator Albert Nalbandyan (the deputy editor is Sergey Muradyan – actually this is the whole editorial staff of the magazine: there’s no resources for additional staff).

Not the most important literary magazine of the USSR managed to publish such works for publishing of which one could appear in jail. The magazine was almost the first in the Union to publish Yuriy Karabchievskiy; the issue with poems and essays of Mandelstam was secretly exported to other republics; later – Marina Tsvetaeva, Andrey Beliy, Vassiliy Grossman – which were powder kegs for publishers. Anyhow, the “LA” not only survived but became a landmark event among Armenian issues.

Read More »The “Literary Armenia” Magazine Endured Communism but is Powerless Against Capitalism

Armenia ranks second after Georgia among the post-Soviet countries in terms of software piracy Microsoft. These are the data of the non-profit company Business Software Alliance. As stated by the representatives of the company in Armenia, the licensed programs in the government are used only by the Ministry of Jurisprudence and Ministry of Education and Science.

Provision of editorial computers with licensed software will cost a considerable amount. 

“Installation of licensed MS Office on 10 computers will cost about 670,000 drams (about $1,800), and the design set of Adobe Creative Suite (Adobe Photoshope, Adobe Indesign, Dreamweaver, Adobe Illustrator, etc.) even an extra $2,000,” says Constantine Geodakyan, technical director of the “Internews” media support NGO in Armenia.

Open-source programs are a challenge to giant software vendors – Windows, Apple Macintosh, Adobe, etc.

Read More »Open-source Software – Freedom to Editorial Offices

Police in the Central Asian nation Kyrgyzstan have detained a Turkish journalist suspected of ties with Islamist terrorist groups, according to Wednesday news reports.

Agents acting on orders from Kyrgyzstan’s national security council arrested Turkish national Ali Osman Zor on May 2 in response to a request from Turkey’s government, the Interfax news agency reported.

Zor, 43, arrived in Kyrgyzstan in April 2010 and applied to receive political asylum there citing alleged long-term persecution by Turkish authorities, according to the report.

Zor’s criticism of Ankara and his calls for an overthrow of the Turkish government in personal blogs and news articles are the cause of the alleged political persecution, the independent Bishkek news website www.24.kg reported.

By Kyrgyz law he may not be extradited from Kyrgyzstan as long as his request for political asylum is under review, said Cholpon Dzhakupova, Director of the Bishkek-based human rights protection group Adilet, according to the report.

Zor reportedly was a member of and frequent spokesman for the Great East Islamic Raiders Front (IBDA-C), a Turkish group calling for the replacement of most secular Middle Eastern governments with a Muslim Caliphate.

Read More »Turkish Journalist Arrested In Kyrgyzstan

The media freedom representative of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) has visited Azerbaijani journalist Eynulla Fatullayev in the prison where he is serving a sentence for illegal drug possession, RFE/RL’s Azerbaijani Service reports.

Dunja Mijatovic paid the visit on May 10, a day ahead of a talk she was scheduled to give at a conference devoted to the decriminalization of defamation. 

Azerbaijan is the only South Caucasus state that regards defamation as a criminal offense. Media and human rights activists have called for the punishment of defamation to be excluded from the criminal code.

Source: RFE/RL

Read More »OSCE Official Meets With Jailed Azerbaijani Journalist

Every morning Mnatsakan Janoyan, 80, takes the bundle of dailies and weeklies and walks across the streets of Gyumri.

The wandering seller of newspapers from Gyumri says he knows well the subtleties of his job and does not get embarrassed of working even at his age.

“I have good children, but I myself have to work as long as I can. Besides I like my job and know everything about it,” says Mnatsakan.

Veteran Mnatsakan of the Second World War remembers those years with pain. He says that he was still an under-age child when he took a weapon to protect his homeland.

“It was awful – fire, flame, smoke, blood, corpses and smelly air. Your dear friend is dying before your eyes while you are fighting against the enemy to death. I cannot… it was really horrible,” is moved Mnatsakan.

“If one wants to live, then s/he must struggle. At different ages the struggle is different. When I was young, I was good in arms. I struggled with my arms and won the war. Afterwards, I did my best for my children do not need anything. And now I’m doing everything possible for me not to be in need.”

Over the last 15 years newspaper has become his weapon, but, as he says, today’s newspapers have lost their power. Previously he had permanent customers and the newspapers were well consumed.

Read More »Glory to Fighters: Veteran of the World War II Still Struggling for Life

Editor of the “Zhamanak” daily and founding editor of the web-site www.1in.am Arman Babajanyan does not foresee a bright future for the print media (especially for the newspapers) in Armenia if, according to him, the government does not take measures – hold competitions, develop grant and support programs for the newspapers.

The editor says that over the recent months Armenian newspapers have appeared in a more difficult situation, especially after decriminalization of the ‘Law on libel and insult’. 

“On one hand the newspapers’ circulation is very limitted, and they are not able to at least make their expenditures self-sufficient, on the other hand the authorities consistently try to create financial obstacles for the newspapers challenging this or that issue in the court and demanding the highest financial compensation set by the law, thus more and more hindering to the establishment of the free media in Armenia,” says Babajanyan.

The editor of the “Azg” daily Hakob Avetikyan is of the opinion that today and in the future the newspaper sould be a commentary and analytical medium rather than a paper to just share news.

Read More »Two Generations of the Same Opinion: The Future of Newspapers Not Encouraging

According to epress.am, the chief editor of the local daily “Haykakan Jamanak” (Armenian Times), the imprisoned journalist Nikol Pashinyan has been nominated for the International Hrant Dink Award.

Each year, the award is given to one citizen from Turkey and to one citizen from abroad. In 2009, the award winners were Turkish journalist Alper Görmüş and Israeli journalist, publicist Amira Hass, while in 2010, the award was given to Turkey’s Conscientious Objection Movement and to Spanish judge Baltasar Garzón Real.

Nikol Pashinyan was nominated for this year’s award by the Yerevan-based International Journalists’ Network.

Read More »Nikol Pashinyan Nominated for Hrant Dink Award

Ապրիլի 27-ին մոտ 200 մարդ հավաքվել էր վրացական հեռահաղորդակցությունների օպերատոր Silknet-ի շենքի մոտ՝ պահանջելով SILK TV-ի հեռուստատեսային եթերում ներառել Maestro TV հեռուստաալիքը: Ցույցի մասնակիցները հասարակական կազմակերպությունների և ընդդիմադիր վեց կուսակցությունների երիտասարդ ակտիվիստներ էին:

Բողոքի ակցիան կազմակերպել էր Mastro TV-ով ցուցադրվող «Առանց հավատարմագրման» հեռուստածրագրի հաղորդավար Շալվա Ռամիշվիլին, ով մինչ այդ ևս արտահայտել էր իր բողոքը Silknet-ի շենքի մոտ: Ի պատասխան բողոքի` ապրիլի 20-ին հեռարձակող օպերատորը հայտարերել էր, որ ցույցի պատճառով Maestro TV-ի հետ մինչ այդ կնքնված համագործակցության պայմանագիրը խզվում է:

Այս անգամ Շալվա Ռամիշվիլուն թույլատրել էին հանդիպել Silknet-ի PR մենեջեր Նինո  Դարասելիի հետ: Սակայն փակ հանդիպման արդյունքում կողմերին որևէ համաձայնության հասնել չի հաջողվել:

Աղբյուր: Media.ge

Read More »Maestro TV-ի 200-հոգանոց ցույցը Silknet-ի շենքի մոտ

On April 27 a group of 200 people demanding the inclusion of Maestro TV into the SILK TV programming rallied outside the premises of the Georgian telecommunications operator Silknet. The rally participants included the representatives of public organizations and young activists of six opposition parties.

The rally was initiated by Shalva Ramishvili, the author and presenter of the Maestro TV program Without Accreditation, having demonstrated his protest outside the Silknet premises earlier too. In response the telecommunications company said on April 20 that due to the rally the cooperation plan with Maestro TV, which had been worked out by Silkent, was thwarted. Pressure and blackmail is unacceptable to us, the company then stated.

The representatives of the new rally scanned “Maestro!” with the accompaniment of hooters. Later Shalva Ramishvili handed over the Silknet security guards 5,000 signatures with the indication on a pledge to become SILK TV subscribers in case of including Maestro TV into the programming.

Following the handover of the aforementioned list Shalva Ramishvili demanded a meeting with the Silknet management. He was received by Nino Daraseli, head of PR department. After the closed meeting he notified TV supporters that neither this time “an adequate response” was provided by Silknet.

Read More »200 People Demanding Maestro TV Broadcasts Rally Outside Silknet Premises