AUTHORITIES CONTINUE TO PROVIDE POLICY OF GUIDANCE TO MAJORITY OF
ARMENIA’S MASS MEDIA: FREEDOM HOUSE

YEREVAN, APRIL 28. ARMINFO. Despite the existence of many private Mass
Media in Armenia, they are still under control of the country’s
authorities, says Freedom of the Press 2005 Draft Country Reports of
the organization Freedom House.

According to the report, The President’s office continues to provide
policy of guidance to Armenia’s public TV. There are signs of
decreasing access to alternative sources of information. Thus, the
report says that the in Aril the Russian television channel NTV had
its broadcast’s suspended throughout Armenia after broadcasting
footage of opposition protests. The local NGOs continue an
unsuccessful campaign to renew the broadcasting right for A1+ and
Noyan Tapan, independent television channels that were shut down in
2002. In 2004 Yerkir Media, the first TV station affiliated to a
political party, began operating. Despite its political orientation,
Yerkir media is a new and alternative source of information that often
criticizes government policy in its new reports. The reports mentions
that security forces and unknown assailants carried out a series of
brutal attacks on journalists who were reporting on opposition rallies
in spring. Although there was evidence of the attackers’ identity, the
authorities charged only two men, who received a fine of less than
$200 US, in stark contrast to the custodial penalties imposed on
opposition activists for lesser offences.