Your trusted source

The recent early municipal elections in the Armenian capital of Yerevan were marked by freedom of media and journalist’s work, Chairman of the Committee to Protect Freedom of Expression (CPFE) Ashot Melikyan told a news conference on Friday, presenting a new CPFE report on the state of freedom of speech and rights of media and reporters for the third quarter of 2018.    

“Election periods used to be very tense in Armenia, coupled with increased attacks, various types of pressure against journalists and media outlets. But the recent elections were different from previous ones, standing out with free journalistic and media activity,” he said.  

Meantime, he added, one physical attackagainst reporters and one case of obstruction of their professional duties were recorded during the municipal elections.

“But compared to the 14 May 2017 City Council elections, we can state that the number of such violations were much greater at that time, with 2 cases of physical attack and 5 cases of impediments registered on the voting day,” Melikyan said.  

He added in the third quarter of this year the total number of violations of the rights of journalists and media outlets dropped to 37 from the second quarter’s 54 cases, with violence on media representatives down to 2 cases from the second quarter’s 19, and pressure on media outlets and reporters to 13 cases from 23.

Meanwhile, the cases of violating the right to receiving and disseminating information has risen in the country in the reporting period. 22 such cases were recorded from July to August against the 12 cases of the second quarter of 2018.

Melikyan also said the snap municipal elections clearly showed that Armenian news agencies are politically and economically biased.