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CENSORSHIP AND MORE?: PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE PLACES INJUNCTION ON INFORMATION RELEASE RELATED TO NEWSPAPER'S LAWSUIT
By Siranuysh Gevorgyan
ArmeniaNow
09.09.11 | 15:10
Armenian's media community is unhappy with another lawsuit against a
news outlet, by which not only the outlet's inventory has been banned
but an unprecedented decree has been issued prohibiting the release
of any information about the case.
The lawsuit has been filed against Hraparak, a daily critical of
the government, however the outlet has not received a notice yet. On
Wednesday the judicial orders compulsory enforcement service officer
visited the newsroom, showed the decree imposing a three million
AMD ($8,200) ban on the inventory and prohibiting publishing any
information related to the lawsuit.
Hraparak's Editor-in-Chief Armine Ohanyan supposes that Judicial
Department head Misak Martirosyan's suit was filed based on articles
on insult and slander and has to do with a letter made public in
an article titled "Judicial department or at Misak's" published by
the newspaper in August. In that letter to the justice minister and
prosecutor-general, judicial system officers were complaining of the
inconsolable state of things at the department and blaming Martirosyan
of "promoting corruption'. Ohanyan told ArmeniaNow that an official
from the Justice Ministry had given them the letter and they simply
published it.
Ohanyan qualifies the court decree as "an attempt at censorship
and disgrace".
"If they get away at least once, it will continue endlessly, they
are trying to impose censorship. The judicial system is not growing
independent and isn't letting us to do either," she says.
Ohanyan says that she met Martirosyan after the article was published,
and had quite an easy and effortless conversation, and that he was not
angry. So she would never have thought that he might file a lawsuit
against them. Ohanyan believes that by doing so Martirosyan is trying
to defend himself against the accusations of bribery and illegal
activities voiced against him in the letter and made public; also
the 6th inspectorate of the RA police is now looking into the issue.
By Siranuysh Gevorgyan
ArmeniaNow
09.09.11 | 15:10
Armenian's media community is unhappy with another lawsuit against a
news outlet, by which not only the outlet's inventory has been banned
but an unprecedented decree has been issued prohibiting the release
of any information about the case.
The lawsuit has been filed against Hraparak, a daily critical of
the government, however the outlet has not received a notice yet. On
Wednesday the judicial orders compulsory enforcement service officer
visited the newsroom, showed the decree imposing a three million
AMD ($8,200) ban on the inventory and prohibiting publishing any
information related to the lawsuit.
Hraparak's Editor-in-Chief Armine Ohanyan supposes that Judicial
Department head Misak Martirosyan's suit was filed based on articles
on insult and slander and has to do with a letter made public in
an article titled "Judicial department or at Misak's" published by
the newspaper in August. In that letter to the justice minister and
prosecutor-general, judicial system officers were complaining of the
inconsolable state of things at the department and blaming Martirosyan
of "promoting corruption'. Ohanyan told ArmeniaNow that an official
from the Justice Ministry had given them the letter and they simply
published it.
Ohanyan qualifies the court decree as "an attempt at censorship
and disgrace".
"If they get away at least once, it will continue endlessly, they
are trying to impose censorship. The judicial system is not growing
independent and isn't letting us to do either," she says.
Ohanyan says that she met Martirosyan after the article was published,
and had quite an easy and effortless conversation, and that he was not
angry. So she would never have thought that he might file a lawsuit
against them. Ohanyan believes that by doing so Martirosyan is trying
to defend himself against the accusations of bribery and illegal
activities voiced against him in the letter and made public; also
the 6th inspectorate of the RA police is now looking into the issue.