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JUDICIARY PRAISED FOR GOOD JUDGMENTS ON DEFAMATION CASES
Police investigation into cases of violence against journalists "have
been more for 'show'/BELGA PHOTO ERIC LALMAND Insufficient progress
in Armenia media freedom, report
Article | February 5, 2013 - 4:43pm | By Stanislava Gaydazhieva A new
report by the Investigative Journalists' NGO says Armenia is making
insufficient progress in preserving media freedom. The organisation
is a member of the Association of European Journalists.
The study 'Violence, intimidation and legal cases against journalists
and the media in Armenia 2012' pays particular attention to incidents
of violence against reporters in the country, as well as lawsuits
against media on charges of slander and insult.
The report, financially supported by the OSCE Office in Yerevan,
is a compilation of media freedom violations in Armenia between
January and October 2012 and legal analysis of two renowned experts,
the attorneys Ara Ghazaryan and Ashot Vareljyan.
After carefully examining various aspects regarding the freedom of
news outlets, including legislative regulation, news accessibility,
physical violence and slander/insult court cases, the study concluded
that "overall judicial process is developing in the right direction".
This means that defamation cases brought to the courts have decreased
dramatically, as well as a significant drop in the amounts of
compensatory damages awarded has become established judicial practice.
However, the judicial practice of defamation and libel lawsuits
was found to be "the only area where steady positive developments
continue".
In contrast, when it comes to exposing incidents of violence committed
against journalists, the report concluded that "the situation
hasn't improved." More precisely, police investigations of the cases
reported in 2012 "have been more for 'show' than anything else and
thus unproductive".
Liana Sayadyan, deputy editor of the NGO-run online newspaper Hetq
where the report appeared, told New Europe that journalists in Armenia
faced various problems, including lack of access to information,
violence and inefficient police investigations. However, in her
opinion, the biggest weakness of the current media freedom environment
in Armenia was the financial dependence of media outlets on politics,
government or other institutions.
According to the press freedom index for 2013 recently released
by Reporters without Borders (RWB), Armenia ranks 74th, marking a
progress of three positions ahead compared to last year. Nevertheless,
RWB emphasised that the country, together with Moldova and Georgia,
'still faces important challenges concerning media independence and
the working environment of journalists.'
About the Author
Stanislava Gaydazhieva Stanislava Gaydazhieva is a journalist for
New Europe
http://www.neurope.eu/article/insufficient-progress-armenia-media-freedom-report
From: A. Papazian
Police investigation into cases of violence against journalists "have
been more for 'show'/BELGA PHOTO ERIC LALMAND Insufficient progress
in Armenia media freedom, report
Article | February 5, 2013 - 4:43pm | By Stanislava Gaydazhieva A new
report by the Investigative Journalists' NGO says Armenia is making
insufficient progress in preserving media freedom. The organisation
is a member of the Association of European Journalists.
The study 'Violence, intimidation and legal cases against journalists
and the media in Armenia 2012' pays particular attention to incidents
of violence against reporters in the country, as well as lawsuits
against media on charges of slander and insult.
The report, financially supported by the OSCE Office in Yerevan,
is a compilation of media freedom violations in Armenia between
January and October 2012 and legal analysis of two renowned experts,
the attorneys Ara Ghazaryan and Ashot Vareljyan.
After carefully examining various aspects regarding the freedom of
news outlets, including legislative regulation, news accessibility,
physical violence and slander/insult court cases, the study concluded
that "overall judicial process is developing in the right direction".
This means that defamation cases brought to the courts have decreased
dramatically, as well as a significant drop in the amounts of
compensatory damages awarded has become established judicial practice.
However, the judicial practice of defamation and libel lawsuits
was found to be "the only area where steady positive developments
continue".
In contrast, when it comes to exposing incidents of violence committed
against journalists, the report concluded that "the situation
hasn't improved." More precisely, police investigations of the cases
reported in 2012 "have been more for 'show' than anything else and
thus unproductive".
Liana Sayadyan, deputy editor of the NGO-run online newspaper Hetq
where the report appeared, told New Europe that journalists in Armenia
faced various problems, including lack of access to information,
violence and inefficient police investigations. However, in her
opinion, the biggest weakness of the current media freedom environment
in Armenia was the financial dependence of media outlets on politics,
government or other institutions.
According to the press freedom index for 2013 recently released
by Reporters without Borders (RWB), Armenia ranks 74th, marking a
progress of three positions ahead compared to last year. Nevertheless,
RWB emphasised that the country, together with Moldova and Georgia,
'still faces important challenges concerning media independence and
the working environment of journalists.'
About the Author
Stanislava Gaydazhieva Stanislava Gaydazhieva is a journalist for
New Europe
http://www.neurope.eu/article/insufficient-progress-armenia-media-freedom-report
From: A. Papazian