YEREVAN PRESS CLUB WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
OCTOBER 30 – NOVEMBER 5, 2009
HIGHLIGHTS:
"PRESS CLUB" CYCLE: ELECTION PLEDGES AND ACTIVITIES OF PARTIES
PACE MARKED SETBACK IN MEDIA FREEDOM IN COUNCIL OF EUROPE MEMBER STATES
20TH ANNIVERSARY OF "HAYK" NEWSPAPER
"PRESS CLUB" CYCLE: ELECTION PLEDGES AND ACTIVITIES OF PARTIES
On November 3, another "Press Club" show went on the air of "Yerkir Media"
TV company. The cycle is produced under Yerevan Press Club project,
supported by the Open Society Institute. The guests of the program host, YPC
President Boris Navasardian were Hamazasp Danielian, professor of Yerevan
State University, candidate of political sciences, and Lusineh Vasilian,
correspondent of Public Radio of Armenia. The discussion centered on the
fulfillment of election pledges and the compliance of the political
platforms with the current activities of Armenian parties.
The next "Press Club" show will be aired on "Yerkir Media" on November 10,
at 21.15.
PACE MARKED SETBACK IN MEDIA FREEDOM IN COUNCIL OF EUROPE MEMBER STATES
The Report on Media Freedom of the Sub-Committee on Media of the PACE
Committee on Culture, Science and Education is placed on the website of
Council of Europe. Overall, for the last three years (2007-2009), the report
notes a tangible regress of the level of freedom of media in Council of
Europe member states. Armenia is repeatedly mentioned in different sections
of the report.
Thus, the report particularly emphasizes that in varying degrees in a number
of countries – Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Moldova – the authorities
displayed intolerance towards the independent and inquiring media as well as
political opponents. Four CoE member – Armenia, Moldova, Azerbaijan and
Russia – were classified as not free by the international human rights
organization "Freedom House".
In the section dealing with cases of violence against journalists, PACE
lists, in particular, the incidents occurred with Gagik Shamshian, free
lance photo journalist, and Lusineh Barseghian, correspondent of "Haykakan
Zhamanak" daily. The incidents took place in Armenia during the presidential
elections of 2008. The report also mentions the assaults of 2008 – on Hrach
Melkumian, Acting Director of the Yerevan Bureau of the Armenian Service of
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, and Edik Baghdasarian, Head of
"Investigative Journalists" NGO, as well as the assault on Argishti
Kivirian, Coordinator of Armenia Today news agency – in 2009. The report
also stresses about the State of Emergency declared after the presidential
elections of February 19, 2008, and the temporary censorship imposed in that
period.
As for the broadcasting sphere, PACE states that Armenia and Azerbaijan
"maintain tight state controls over the management and work of their
national television systems". Armenia, the report notes, "is being strongly
pressed to permit the popular independent TV channel "A1+", whose
broadcasting license was taken away in 2002, to be awarded a new one in line
with a ruling of the European Court of Human Rights".
Read the whole version of PACE report on
20TH ANNIVERSARY OF "HAYK" NEWSPAPER
On November 4 "Hayk" newspaper celebrated its 20th anniversary since its
first issue.
Yerevan Press Club celebrates colleagues and wishes them success and
prosperity.
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Editor of YPC Newsletter – Elina POGHOSBEKIAN
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