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ARMENIA: International reporters denied entry
IFEX - News from the international freedom of expression community
__________________________________________________ _______________
ALERT - ARMENIA
17 March 2011
International reporters denied entry
SOURCE: Committee to Protect Journalists
(CPJ/IFEX) - New York, March 15, 2011 -
The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed by Armenia's refusal
to allow four reporters with the Finnish public broadcaster YLE to
enter the country, and called on the authorities today to allow the
journalists to resume their work in Armenia.
On Thursday, immigration authorities at the Zvartnots International
Airport in the capital, Yerevan, refused to issue visas to the four
reporters, and forced them to leave the country, according to local
and international press reports. Immigration authorities did not
provide an explanation to the reporters - two of whom are from
Estonia; the others are from Finland and Lithuania - as to why they
were turned away, Armen Nikogosian, a researcher with the Yerevan
Press Club, told CPJ.
Andrius Brokas, YLE's executive producer, said in a statement that the
reporters had traveled to Armenia to collect material for a
documentary on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict between Armenia and
Azerbaijan, the Armenian service of the U.S. government-funded Radio
Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported.
"At the very least, these journalists deserve an explanation as to
why they were not allowed to enter Armenia to cover a story of
international interest," CPJ Europe and Central Asia Program
Coordinator Nina Ognianova said. "We call on the authorities to
allow the YLE crew to enter the country and work freely."
Unidentified officials with the Armenian Foreign Ministry told the
regional news website EurasiaNet that they believed the documentary
was commissioned by the government of Azerbaijan for the purpose of
damaging Armenia's reputation. Brokas denied the allegations. He told
the Russian service of the BBC that the documentary was financed by
YLE and a Lithuanian company, TV Komanda.
A violent conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan erupted in February
1988 over the Nagorno-Karabakh region - a mountainous area populated
mostly by ethnic Armenians that is formally part of Azerbaijan but is
a de facto breakaway republic. Despite a May 1994 ceasefire, the
conflict has not ended and violent incidents continue to take place on
the border. Since 1994, the governments of Armenia and Azerbaijan have
been participating in peace talks on the territory's status, mediated
by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe.
http://www.ifex.org/armenia/2011/03/17/reporters_denied_entry/
For more information:
Committee to Protect Journalists
330 7th Ave., 11th Floor
New York, NY 10001
USA
info (=40) cpj.org
Phone: +1 212 465 1004
Fax: +1 212 465 9568
http://www.cpj.org
The information contained in this item is the sole responsibility of
the above cited source. In citing this material for broadcast or
publication, please credit the source.
From: A. Papazian
555 Richmond St. West, =23 1101, PO Box 407
Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5V 3B1
alerts=40ifex.org
http://www.ifex.org/
ARMENIA: International reporters denied entry
IFEX - News from the international freedom of expression community
__________________________________________________ _______________
ALERT - ARMENIA
17 March 2011
International reporters denied entry
SOURCE: Committee to Protect Journalists
(CPJ/IFEX) - New York, March 15, 2011 -
The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed by Armenia's refusal
to allow four reporters with the Finnish public broadcaster YLE to
enter the country, and called on the authorities today to allow the
journalists to resume their work in Armenia.
On Thursday, immigration authorities at the Zvartnots International
Airport in the capital, Yerevan, refused to issue visas to the four
reporters, and forced them to leave the country, according to local
and international press reports. Immigration authorities did not
provide an explanation to the reporters - two of whom are from
Estonia; the others are from Finland and Lithuania - as to why they
were turned away, Armen Nikogosian, a researcher with the Yerevan
Press Club, told CPJ.
Andrius Brokas, YLE's executive producer, said in a statement that the
reporters had traveled to Armenia to collect material for a
documentary on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict between Armenia and
Azerbaijan, the Armenian service of the U.S. government-funded Radio
Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported.
"At the very least, these journalists deserve an explanation as to
why they were not allowed to enter Armenia to cover a story of
international interest," CPJ Europe and Central Asia Program
Coordinator Nina Ognianova said. "We call on the authorities to
allow the YLE crew to enter the country and work freely."
Unidentified officials with the Armenian Foreign Ministry told the
regional news website EurasiaNet that they believed the documentary
was commissioned by the government of Azerbaijan for the purpose of
damaging Armenia's reputation. Brokas denied the allegations. He told
the Russian service of the BBC that the documentary was financed by
YLE and a Lithuanian company, TV Komanda.
A violent conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan erupted in February
1988 over the Nagorno-Karabakh region - a mountainous area populated
mostly by ethnic Armenians that is formally part of Azerbaijan but is
a de facto breakaway republic. Despite a May 1994 ceasefire, the
conflict has not ended and violent incidents continue to take place on
the border. Since 1994, the governments of Armenia and Azerbaijan have
been participating in peace talks on the territory's status, mediated
by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe.
http://www.ifex.org/armenia/2011/03/17/reporters_denied_entry/
For more information:
Committee to Protect Journalists
330 7th Ave., 11th Floor
New York, NY 10001
USA
info (=40) cpj.org
Phone: +1 212 465 1004
Fax: +1 212 465 9568
http://www.cpj.org
The information contained in this item is the sole responsibility of
the above cited source. In citing this material for broadcast or
publication, please credit the source.
From: A. Papazian