Armenian NGOs accuse country's authorities of conniving at violence against journalists

On the initiative of the Yerevan Press Club, NGOs and journalists participating in the "Civil Society in the Context of Democratic Reform in Armenia" workshop adopted the following statement:

On April 5, 2004, prior to the Yerevan meeting of National Unity party leaders with the voters, the police impeded journalists' activity on the highways connecting the regions with the capital. During the rally, authorities obviously connived at the violence applied: the journalists were exposed to beating, photo and video cameras were broken, films and tapes were confiscated and destroyed. Both hampering journalists' work and violence towards them fall under criminal offence.

Overt bias of certain media, even those who fell victim to the incident, in covering the events is also to be blamed.

We, participants of the workshop, organized by the "Partnership for Open Society" initiative, strongly condemn one more instance of regular violation of the rights for receiving and disseminating information, as well as freedom of expression. We call upon law and order bodies to punish the instigators and perpetrators.

We declare that if in this case as well the culprits, several of them being known, are not punished and the damage to the media is not compensated, we will have to state that Armenian authorities are not interested in consolidating the basic democratic values in the country: the rights for freedom of expression, press, travel, conducting meetings and rallies, exchanging opinions and the right of the society for getting objective information.

We call on all the media, irrespective of their political preferences, to demonstrate professional unity and to rise against the cases of violation of freedom of expression through joint efforts.

April 6, 2004

Editors note: See also the article "National Unity will do its best to prevent riots on April 9, party's leader says".