YEREVAN PRESS CLUB WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
OCTOBER 26 – NOVEMBER 1, 2007
HIGHLIGHTS:
"PRESS CLUB" CYCLE: NEW CANDIDATES AND FAIR ELECTIONS
CHARGES INTRODUCED TO THE EDITORS OF "CHORRORD ISHKHANUTIUN" AND "HAIKAKAN
ZHAMANAK"
CONFERENCE FOR REGIONAL MEDIA
"THIRD FORCE" PUBLICATION RESUMED – WITH A PLUS
"AT CROSSROADS": SOUTH CAUCASUS DOCUMENTARY FESTIVAL
"PRESS CLUB" CYCLE: NEW CANDIDATES AND FAIR ELECTIONS
On October 31 another "Press Club" show went on the evening air of "Yerkir
Media" TV company. The guest of the program host Ashot Melikian, the
Chairman of the Committee to Protect Freedom of Expression, was the leader
of "Orinats Yerkir" party, head of parliament faction Artur Baghdasarian.
The discussion subject was the upcoming elections of the RA President, in
particular, the change of the inner political situation because of the
intention of the RA First President Levon Ter-Petrosian to run in elections,
as announced at the rally of October 26, the participation of "Orinats
Yerkir" in election race, the possibility of having free and fair elections.
The next program of "Press Club" cycle will be aired by "Yerkir Media" on
Wednesday, November 7 at 21.40.
The "Press Club" cycle is produced under a project of Media Diversity
Institute, supported by Open Society Institute Assistance
Foundation-Armenia.
CHARGES INTRODUCED TO THE EDITORS OF "CHORRORD ISHKHANUTIUN" AND "HAIKAKAN
ZHAMANAK"
On October 30 the Investigative Department of the Police of Center community
of Yerevan introduced charges to some participants of the march of October
23, including Shogher Matevosian, the Chief Editor of "Chorrord
Ishkhanutiun" newspaper, and Nikol Pashinian, the head of "Haikakan
Zhamanak" daily. The journalists are charged with an offence provided for by
part 1 of Article 316 of the RA Criminal Code ("Violence against power
representative"). As it has been reported, in the evening of October 23 in
Yerevan the police cracked down on march participants, who disseminated
leaflets and informed with loudspeaker the citizens about the opposition
rally, scheduled for October 26. The representatives of law enforcement
bodies demanded that loudspeaker be not used and then applied force and tear
gas. As a result of the actions of the police the correspondent of "Chorrord
Ishkhanutiun" Gohar Vezirian and some other march participants were injured.
Over a dozen of march participants were detained and taken to the Police of
Center community of Yerevan, including Shogher Matevosian and Nikol
Pashinian. The detained left the police only in the early morning of October
24. According to the press release of the RA Police, due to public disorder
and resistance (as a result of which "four police officers with corporal
injuries needed medical assistance") criminal proceedings were instituted.
The document, however, failed to dwell on the march participants injured and
the application of special means (see details in YPC Weekly Newsletter,
October 19-25, 2007).
CONFERENCE FOR REGIONAL MEDIA
On October 29-30 at Congress Hotel in Yerevan a conference "Role of Regional
Media in Advocacy" was held. The event was organized by the Committee to
Protect Freedom of Expression under the project "Advocacy Through Empowering
Journalistic Associations and Regional Media", supported by the Open Society
Institute Assistance Foundation-Armenia and the Government of the
Netherlands. The conference was a sum-up of the first stage of the
three-year project. The representatives of media of Syunik, Shirak, Lori,
Tavush, Gegharkunik, Armavir, Kotayk regions of Armenia discussed such
issues as the problems of regional media, concealed censorship and combating
its manifestations, formation of press self-regulation system in Armenia.
Results of regional media monitoring administered under the project and
recommendations how the work of these media can be improved were also
presented.
"THIRD FORCE" PUBLICATION RESUMED – WITH A PLUS
On October 27 "Yerrord Uzh Plus" Armenian-language weekly and its monthly
Russian-language digest "Tretya Sila Plus" ("Third Force Plus") was issued.
According to the Chief Editor of the newspaper Vahram Aghajanian, this is a
resumption, but with a somewhat change title, of the "Yerrord Uzh" weekly,
published from June 2004 to September 2005 (see YPC Weekly Newsletter,
September 30 – October 6, 2005). The founder of "Yerrord Uzh Plus" is the
LLC of the same name. The print run of the both versions of the newspaper is
1,000 copies each.
"AT CROSSROADS": SOUTH CAUCASUS DOCUMENTARY FESTIVAL
On October 31 in Tbilisi a festival of documentaries "At Crossroads" was
held. In it students of journalism, film production and script writing of
Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia took part. The contestants submitted a total
of 21 films with duration of 7 minutes each. The event was a certain
conclusion of the project "Studio at Crossroads", implemented by Internews
Armenia public organization, Internews Azerbaijan Association and Internews
Georgia Foundation, supported by Eurasia Foundation South Caucasus
Cooperation Program.
The festival winners were the films: "Wave Started" (co-authored by Seda
Grigorian and Kenul Mamedova) – "Best Partnership" nomination; "The
Informals" (co-authored by Levan Jobava and Adelia Suleymanova) – "Best
Direction" nomination; "Beware, the Abductor is in Love" (co-authored by Ani
Stepanian and Sofo Bekua) – "Best Scenario" nomination; "Seven Minutes with
Gypsies" (co-authored by Ani Cherkezishvili and Orhan Agazadeh) – "Best Film
of the Festival" nomination; "Poetry of Poz" (co-authored by Beso
Kapchelashvili and Karlen Aslanian) – "Special Glance"; "Without"
(co-authored by Murad Muradov and Dato Chitaya) – "Most Emotional Film"
nomination. A special prize of the jury was awarded to "King Kong and
Thumbelina" (co-authored by Elina Chilingarian and Nijat Halil-Ulfat).
When reprinting or using the information above, reference to the Yerevan
Press Club is required.
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Editor of YPC Newsletter – Elina POGHOSBEKIAN
_____________________________________ _______
Yerevan Press Club
9B, Ghazar Parpetsi str.
0002, Yerevan, Armenia
Tel.: (+ 374 10) 53 00 67; 53 35 41; 53 76 62
Fax: (+374 10) 53 56 61
E-mail: [email protected]
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From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
