Thursday,
Lawmakers Seek To ‘Cleanse’ Armenian TV Content
• Robert Zargarian
Armenia -- Television cameramen at an opposition rally in Yerevan in 2011.
A group of pro-government parliamentarians have drafted a bill that would give
an Armenian regulatory body more powers to monitor broadcasters and “cleanse”
their programs of what they see as harmful content.
Under the bill, TV and radio stations will have to clearly separate facts from
opinions, air only credible and verified information and avoid any calls for
violence, hatred and illegal “overthrow of the constitutional order.”
The bill stipulates that the broadcasters would have to devote 20 percent of
their weekly programming to children, culture and education. Also, TV channels
would be allowed to show films featuring violent, scary or sex scenes only after
midnight.
These requirements would be enforced by the National Commission on Television
and Radio, a state body issuing broadcasting licenses. Although the commission
can also revoke those licenses in certain cases, its legal authority to
influence the content of TV and radio programs has been quite limited until now.
The authors of the bill mostly affiliated with Armenia’s ruling My Step bloc
insisted on Thursday that its purpose is to “cleanse” and “disinfect” television
content, rather than shut down any broadcasters or ensure government control of
the airwaves.
“This would run counter to our value system, and we hope that there will be no
comparisons with the former authorities’ practices,” said Mkhitar Hayrapetian,
the chairman of the parliament committee on science, education, culture and
youth affairs.
“Our objective is to set new, healthy rules of the game, and yes, many, many TV
channels and TV programs will have to follow them,” he said.
Boris Navasardian, the chairman of the Yerevan Press Club, expressed concern
over some provisions of the bill, while noting with satisfaction clear
mechanisms for sanctioning broadcasters set by it.
“How will violations of this law be interpreted and sanctioned?” Navasardian
told RFE/RL’s Armenian service. “On one hand, it could be perceived as
declarative provisions and not affect [broadcasters] in a negative way. But it
could also endanger freedom of speech as a result of a biased perception.”
Armenia’s former governments had a strong influence on the news reporting of
virtually all TV stations that were mostly owned by businesspeople loyal to
them. The situation changed significantly after the 2018 “Velvet Revolution.”
Some TV channels are now controlled by political groups or individuals
challenging the current Armenian government. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian has
repeatedly accused them of seeking to discredit and weaken his administration.
The broadcasters have rejected the accusations.
Pashinian In Fresh War Of Words With Former Security Chief
• Astghik Bedevian
• Ruzanna Stepanian
Armenia -- Prime Miinister Nikol Pashinian and National Security Service
Director Artur Vanetsian (R) walk in downtown Yerevan, September 21, 2018.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian has launched fresh scathing attacks on Artur
Vanetsian, prompting angry rebuttals from the former head of Armenia’s National
Security Service (NSS).
Vanetsian was one of the most influential members of Pashinian’s entourage until
being unexpectedly relieved of his duties in September last year. He criticized
Pashinian’s “impulsive” leadership style following his dismissal, triggering a
bitter war of words with the premier.
The public feud between the two men was reignited in January by Pashinian’s
“Haykakan Zhamanak” newspaper. In an extensive article, it charged that
Vanetsian is behind a smear campaign against the prime minister’s family waged
by anti-government media.
The former NSS chief strongly denied the allegations before filing a defamation
suit against the paper in February.
Earlier this week, Pashinian’s spokeswoman, Mane Gevorgian, accused Vanetsian of
cutting shady business deals with Mikael Minasian, a once influential son-in-law
of former President Serzh Sarkisian. Gevorgian said that “according to the
government’s information” he abused his NSS position to buy Minasian’s minority
stake in Armenia’s largest mining company.
Vanetsian strongly denied the claim on Wednesday. “There is a lie, a great lie
and a Pashinian lie,” he said in a statement.
He insisted that Pashinian knew beforehand that Minasian’s stake in the Zangezur
Copper-Molybdenum Combine will be sold to individuals unrelated to Vanetsian in
2018.
Pashinian’s brother-in-law, Hrachya Hakobian, added to the latest attacks on
Vanetsian by suggesting that the latter may have worked for a foreign
intelligence service.
“Will it turn out one day that Vanetsian was sacked as NSS director because of
having been recruited by foreign intelligence services?” Hakobian wrote on
Facebook on Wednesday night. He wondered if Vanetsian has not been prosecuted
for espionage because the Armenian government does not want to “spoil relations
with the recruiting country.”
Hakobian clarified on Thursday that he has no evidence of such espionage and
simply “raised questions.” “I don’t have such information but suspect that maybe
his resignation occurred in those circumstances,” he told RFE/RL’s Armenian
service.
“We see no need to comment on yet another unserious and irresponsible
statement,” said Kristine Melkonian, a spokeswoman for Vanetsian. “Our lawyers
will deal with that.”
Hakobian, who is also a parliament deputy representing Pashinian’s My Step bloc,
already alleged in January that Vanetsian was sacked because he was plotting a
coup. The NSS said at the time it is not aware of any coup attempts and will not
look into Hakobian’s claims.
Vanetsian officially announced his entry into politics in February, saying that
he is setting up an opposition party for this purpose. He said the party will
strive to disprove government claims that Armenia’s former leaders are the main
political rivals of the current authorities.
Armenian Vice-Speaker, Anti-Government Activist Investigated After Brawl
• Anush Mkrtchian
Armenia - Deputy parliament speaker Alen Simonian, speaks to RFE/RL, Yerevan,
April 13, 2019
Law-enforcement authorities on Thursday pledged to investigate a violent clash
between a deputy speaker of Armenia’s parliament and an outspoken
anti-government activist which raised eyebrows in the country.
The influential vice-speaker, Alen Simonian, and Artur Danielian, the leader of
the nationalist Adekvad movement highly critical of the Armenian government,
came to blows after crossing paths in downtown Yerevan on Wednesday.
They blamed each other for the brawl, with Danielian posting a picture of his
bloody nose on social media. Simonian also appeared to have suffered an injury.
Both men received medical assistance at different hospitals.
Simonian said later on Wednesday that he head-butted Danielian after the latter
swore badly at him. The vice-speaker defended his actions, saying that they
amounted to self-defense.
“I am prepared for any decision that will be taken by law-enforcement bodies,”
he said in a video message streamed live on Facebook.
Danielian and his supporters portrayed this statement as proof that Simonian was
the first to resort to violence. The activist’s lawyer, Tigran Atanesian, said
law-enforcement authorities have sufficient grounds to prosecute the close
political associate of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian.
Prosecutors said on Wednesday that the incident will be investigated by
Armenia’s Special Investigate Service, a law-enforcement body which normally
deals with criminal offenses allegedly committed by state officials.
Armenia -- Artur Danielian, the leader of Adekvad movement, January 28, 2020.
Commenting to the incident, the parliamentary leader of the ruling Civil
Contract party, Lilit Makunts, said that any form of violence is unacceptable to
Armenia’s political leadership.
But Makunts also said: “This incident should not be viewed as a separate case.
It is a consequence of public threats, verbal abuse of sexual character which
have moved from the online domain to the offline domain.”
The brawl occurred one day after Simonian traded insults with Edmon Marukian,
the leader of the mainstream opposition Bright Armenia Party (LHK), on the
parliament floor. He also launched a sexist attack on a female LHK
parliamentarian after being criticized by her during a parliament debate.
Simonian apologized to the lawmaker, Ani Samsonian, later on Tuesday.
Danielian is a former member of Civil Contract who left Pashinian’s party before
the 2018 “Velvet Revolution.” Danielian and his supporters set up Adekvad
following the Pashinian-led revolution which they strongly opposed. Heavily
relying on social media, the hardline group regularly accuses the current
authorities of undermining traditional Armenian values, posing a threat to
national security and plotting unilateral concessions to Azerbaijan in the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
Pashinian and his allies dismiss these accusations. They say that Adekvad is
linked to Armenia’s former leadership toppled in 2018.
Armenian Government Sticks To Reopening Plan As COVID-19 Cases Surge
Armenia -- Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian speaks at a cabinet meeting, Yerevan,
.
The government said on Thursday that it does not intend yet to stop the ongoing
gradual reopening of Armenia’s economy despite a record-high number of new
coronavirus cases recorded in the country in the past 24 hours.
The Armenian Ministry of Health reported 134 new cases and two more deaths in
the morning. The total number of people who have tested positive for coronavirus
thus reached 2,066 while the nationwide death rose to 32.
Health Minister Arsen Torosian presented these figures at the start of a weekly
cabinet meeting in Yerevan. He again warned that the health authorities will
soon be no longer able to hospitalize or isolate all infected persons.
“Of course, we will try to delay the day when we make such a decision as much as
possible because it will lead to a further spread [of the disease] in the
future,” said Torosian. “I presume that we will manage to last for five or six
days at this pace.”
The spread of the virus slowed significantly at the beginning of April following
the government’s decision in late March to impose a nationwide lockdown
involving the closure of most nonessential businesses. The government began
gradually lifting on April 13 the ban on various types of economic activity. The
Ministry of Health has reported increased daily numbers of COVID-19 case for the
past ten days.
Armenia -- Medical personnel clad in protective gear pose for a photograph
outside the Surp Grigor Lusavorich hospital in Yerevan, April 9, 2020.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian announced on Tuesday that the authorities are
planning to allow all companies, including cafes and restaurants, to resume
their operations within the next ten days. A government task force enforcing the
coronavirus-related state of emergency in Armenia eased restrictions on people’s
movements the following day.
“I think that our plans have not changed yet,” the head of the task force,
Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Avinian, told Pashinian and fellow cabinet members.
“Nevertheless, depending on the infection growth dynamic, our decisions may
change,” he said. “I think that there is no need for such changes as yet. The
statistics of the coming days as well as the circle of individuals who will test
positive will allow us to make final decisions.”
“If we see that our policy of easing restrictions is bringing about dangerous
consequences and the virus is spreading so fast that the healthcare system may
not be able to treat all infected people, then I think that we will have to
revert to the toughest possible [restrictions] regime,” added Avinian. “It is
therefore essential that economic entities follow [safety] rules set by us.”
Pashinian indicated, for his part, that he believes that the authorities should
stick to their reopening plan. “It’s obvious that we will have [coronavirus]
cases at least until March or April next year, and we therefore cannot live in a
closed regime for a whole year,” he said. “No country of the world can.”
Pashinian also complained that many Armenians are continuing to flout social
distancing rules mandated or recommended by the authorities.
Critics say that the authorities themselves have contributed to the population’s
complacency through a lax enforcement of those rules and early easing of the
lockdown.
Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
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