Panorama.am

17:44 02/03/2007

`NEW WAVE OF VIOLENCE EXPECTED AGAINST MASS MEDIA’

Impediments of reporters’ activities continue both by individuals and
the state. Violence against them becomes intensive when the political
situation becomes heated. These are some of the opinions Davit
Sandukhchyan, Olga Safaryan, lawyers of Internews NGO, expressed. They
believe there will be more violence against reporters taken the fact
of upcoming parliamentary elections.

Speaking about the recent two months of the running year, Ashot
Melikyan, chairman of freedom of speech committee, said cases of
hindering the activities of the mass media have continued. `Recently,
it has become a fashion to burn cars. This year, the car of Suren
Baghdasaryan, editor of Football+, was burned two times. Later the car
of Ara Saghatelyan, owner of Panorama.am web portal and `My Right’
newspaper, was burned,’ Melikyan said.

The study conducted by the committee on violence against reporters
says that 16 such cases were reported and few of them got into
court. If judicial proceedings were instituted, such cases were either
suspended or discontinued. Sandukhchyan believes article 164 in
Criminal Code envisages too mild punishment for hindering reporters’
activities.

Source: Panorama.am

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress