EurasiaNet, NY
June 5 2007

OBSERVERS: WORRIES NOT OVER FOR ARMENIA’S RADIO LIBERTY

Marianna Grigoryan 7/05/07

Local observers believe opposition from the international community
led to the failure of a controversial bill that could have restricted
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s broadcasts in Armenia. Despite the
vote outcome, however, they argue that the legislation’s implications
for freedom of media still linger on.

Sixty-six votes were necessary to pass amendments to two laws that
would have imposed stiff fees for the retransmission of foreign
broadcasters’ materials via public radio and television. Opposition
members of parliament and several independent parliamentarians
boycotted the July 3 vote. Only 63 votes for the amendments were cast
by pro-government MPs, with two parliamentarians abstaining.

"It was proof that it is quality rather than quantity that matters.
The minority beat the button-pressing majority," commented
independent MP Victor Dallakian, who worked with the opposition
Heritage and Country of Law Parties on the boycott. "This is our
first victory, the success of free speech."

The Armenian service of the US-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio
Liberty, a past target for criticism by senior government officials,
is currently the only broadcaster to make use of this service. [For
details, see the Eurasia Insight archive]. The ruling Republican
Party of Armenia and government, however, have denied that the
amendments were aimed at RFE/RL.

Opposition members say that they expect fresh amendments in the fall.

"The law, no doubt, needs changes; especially there is a need for
that ahead of the upcoming presidential elections since we need to
have a law that would protect free speech and meet international
standards," said Stepan Safarian, a political analyst and member of
the opposition Heritage Party parliamentary faction. "However,
legislative changes must be made with complex discussions and not in
an unprepared way, which happened in this case."

Opponents of the legislation say that the international community’s
strong condemnation of the amendments discouraged pro-government
lawmakers from showing up in sufficient numbers to pass the proposed
bills. Such criticism jarred with international observers’ assessment
of Armenia’s May 12 parliamentary elections as the first to mostly
meet democratic standards.

"This approach contradicts public interests and the serious
contribution that independent media have in public debate, as well as
in the matter of political pluralism," news outlets reported Swedish
Ambassador to the Council of Europe Per Sjõgren, head of the Ago
Group, which monitors Armenian and Azerbaijani compliance with
Council of Europe commitments, as saying on July 2 trip in Yerevan.
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, the Organization
for Security and Cooperation in Europe, and Human Rights Watch
largely echoed those sentiments.

"The authorities did not expect international structures to give such
strong-worded assessments," argued Artur Sakunts, chairman of the
Helsinki Assembly’s Vanadzor office in northern Armenia. "There
wasn’t such pressure even after the elections."

That criticism, coupled with a July 2 protest action by local civil
rights groups, journalists and non-governmental organizations made
for "huge" pressure, noted political analyst Richard Giragosian.
"[I]t was impossible that all that would not have its influence,"
Giragosian said.

In response, Parliamentary Speaker Tigran Torosian, who had backed
the amendments, stated that " documents" and "an expert study" were
necessary before proceeding, according to statements posted on portal
panorama.am. The Ago Group’s reaction, he said, "responds naturally
to the improper noise raised in Armenia."

Helsinki Assembly’s Sakunts and other activists, however, say that
further wrangles could still be in the works. With a presidential
vote next year, commented Sakunts, "I am sure that the story is not
over yet."

Editor’s Note: Marianna Grigoryan is a reporter for the independent
online weekly ArmeniaNow.