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Yerevan Press Club Weekly Newsletter - 09/17/2009

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  • Yerevan Press Club Weekly Newsletter - 09/17/2009

    YEREVAN PRESS CLUB WEEKLY NEWSLETTER

    SEPTEMBER 11-17, 2009

    HIGHLIGHTS:

    RA COURT OF CASSATION REVOKED THE PARDON OF GAGIK SHAMSHIAN

    DRAFT LAW ON CREATING A COMMISSION ON "A1+" TV COMPANY ISSUE NOT INCLUDED IN
    THE AGENDA OF RA NA AUTUMN SESSION

    "HAYKAKAN ZHAMANAK" FOUNDER APPEALS THE DECISION ON SUIT OF LEVON KOCHARIAN

    "JOURNALISM FACULTY" - BOOK BY ASHOT GAZAZIAN ISSUED


    RA COURT OF CASSATION REVOKED THE PARDON OF GAGIK SHAMSHIAN

    On September 16 RA Court of Cassation revoked the verdict of RA Criminal
    Court of Appeal expanding an amnesty on free lance journalist Gagik
    Shamshian. As it has been reported, the pardon to Gagik Shamshian, sentenced
    to a fine on April 17, 2009 in the amount of 350,000 AMD (about $ 950) for
    disrespect to court, was granted by the decision of Criminal Court of Appeal
    on July 15, 2009. Gagik Shamshian considered that he had been pardoned
    illegally and addressed to the RA Prosecutor's Office and to the Court of
    Cassation. The Prosecutor's Office confirmed that the journalist should not
    have been pardoned on the abovementioned case, as an amnesty had already
    been applied on him by another case (see YPC Weekly Newsletter, September
    3-10, 2009). Now the same opinion was backed by the Court of Cassation.

    DRAFT LAW ON CREATING A COMMISSION ON "A1+" TV COMPANY ISSUE NOT INCLUDED IN
    THE AGENDA OF RA NA AUTUMN SESSION

    On September 15 RA National Assembly resolved not to include in the agenda
    of autumn session the legislative initiative of deputies from "Heritage"
    faction Styopa Safarian and Anahit Bakhshian on establishing an interim
    parliamentary commission. The commission would deal with the fulfillment of
    requirements of the Parliamentary Assembly of Council of Europe Resolutions
    1374(2004), 1609(2008), 1620(2008), 1643(2009) and 1677(2009) on Armenia.
    The draft law was declined by 53 votes "against" with 17 "for" and 18
    abstainers.

    As it has been reported, the legislative initiative was submitted to the
    National Assembly on July 3, 2009. According to the proposal of deputies
    from "Heritage" party, the interim commission was to carry out the following
    three main tasks: the promotion of legislative initiative aiming to hold an
    open, fair and transparent broadcast licensing competition, on the basis of
    the report made by an independent CoE spectrum analyst; the examination and
    the revision of legislative regulations preventing the implementation of the
    judgment of the European Court of Human Rights on the case of "A1+"; the
    preparation of a conclusion and its presentation to the RA National
    Assembly, based on the acquisition and analysis of information on the
    circumstances preventing the fulfillment of the PACE Resolutions
    requirements on holding a competition and the execution of the European
    Court judgment. According to the draft, the activities of the interim
    commission were supposed to be terminated in the end of October 2009, in
    order to ensure the fulfillment of the aforesaid demands of PACE Resolutions
    before the PACE winter session and the forerunning session of Monitoring
    Committee on the Honoring of Obligations and Commitments by Member-State of
    Council of Europe (see YPC Weekly Newsletter, July 3-9, 2009).

    "HAYKAKAN ZHAMANAK" FOUNDER APPEALS THE DECISION ON SUIT OF LEVON KOCHARIAN

    On September 11 in RA Civil Court of Appeal started the hearings on the
    complaint of "Dareskizb" LLC, founder of "Haykakan Zhamanak" daily. The
    complaint regards the decision of the court of primary jurisdiction on the
    suit to protect the honor and the dignity of Levon Kocharian, younger son of
    RA Second President Robert Kocharian. As it has been reported, the reason of
    the lawsuit was the editorial "The Adventures of Robert's Son in Dubai",
    published in "Haykakan Zhamanak" on February 6, 2009. The piece informed
    about Levon Kocharian's detention by police of Dubai, UAE, in the end of
    2008. On June 5, 2009 court of general jurisdiction of Kentron and
    Nork-Marash communities of Yerevan partially secured the demands of the
    suit, by obliging the newspaper to publish a refutation, to pay off the
    plaintiff a sum of 3 million and 620 thousand AMD (about $ 9,600), and to
    compensate the sue charges of 72 thousand AMD (see YPC Weekly Newsletter,
    June 5-11, 2009).

    The court hearings were interrupted because of the absence of the identity
    of Levon Kocharian's lawyer. At the following session of September 17 the
    court informed that the decision on the appeal of "Haykakan Zhamanak"
    founder would be read out on October 2, 2009.

    "JOURNALISM FACULTY" - BOOK BY ASHOT GAZAZIAN ISSUED

    On September 17 at the Journalists' Union of Armenia was held the
    presentation of a book by Ashot Gazazian, well-known journalist, the
    correspondent of "Deutsche Welle" radio in Armenia and a member of Yerevan
    Press Club Council, titled "JourFac" ("Journalism Faculty"). This is already
    the second book in a genre, defined by its author himself as "Bioreport" and
    represents memories, true stories, and reflections about the time, events,
    profession, friends and colleagues. The first Bioreport of Ashot Gazazian,
    "In the Shadow of the Sun", was issued in 2005 (see YPC Weekly Newsletter,
    September 30 - October 6, 2005).


    When reprinting or using the information above, reference to the Yerevan
    Press Club is required.

    You are welcome to send any comment and feedback about the Newsletter to:
    [email protected]

    Subscription for the Newsletter is free. To subscribe or unsubscribe from
    this mailing list, please send a message to: [email protected]

    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]
    Web Site: www.ypc.am
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