"WE ARE NOT ASSESSED IN THE SAME WAY AS FREER COUNTRIES ARE," LARISA ALAVERDYAN SAYS
April 24 2013
"I have examined the part related to the freedom of speech. The
issue is that when we want to compare reports, we should clarify
the following; since our aspirations become higher each year, the
assessments of us and the criteria we have to meet become closer to
those of high international criteria. So naturally, they assessed
us according to different criteria, say, fifteen years ago," Larisa
Alaverdyan, the head of the Against Legal Arbitrariness NGO and the
first Human Rights Defender of the Republic of Armenia, said during
a conversation with www.aravot.am, talking about the report issued
by the US Department of State. The problem related to the freedom
of speech, in Alaverdyan's opinion, is presented differently in the
report. "The issue is that we haven't been able to present the problem
of TV channels in our country in terms of real freedom of speech, the
situation that has been there since A1+ and Noyan Tapan were closed."
Alaverdyan thinks: "If we look at ourselves, we will see that the
rest what the US Department of State states reflects this or that
drawback one way or the other." Alaverdyan assures that the problem
is presented in the report mildly. "We ourselves should realize that
they assess us, raising the criteria every year. All the same, their
approach to us is not equal to them, as their attitude would have been
toward freer countries." As for whether we had to take note of that
report or not, Alaverdyan said: "We have to take note of our social
needs. I think that the condition of our press and the condition of
society don't correspond to each other. Thus, critical articles and TV
shows don't reveal the deeply-rooted reasons for the situation that
exists today. And the situation that exists in our country today is
lack of the rule of law." Eva HAKOBYAN
Read more at: http://en.aravot.am/2013/04/24/153895/
© 1998 - 2013 Aravot - News from Armenia
From: A. Papazian
April 24 2013
"I have examined the part related to the freedom of speech. The
issue is that when we want to compare reports, we should clarify
the following; since our aspirations become higher each year, the
assessments of us and the criteria we have to meet become closer to
those of high international criteria. So naturally, they assessed
us according to different criteria, say, fifteen years ago," Larisa
Alaverdyan, the head of the Against Legal Arbitrariness NGO and the
first Human Rights Defender of the Republic of Armenia, said during
a conversation with www.aravot.am, talking about the report issued
by the US Department of State. The problem related to the freedom
of speech, in Alaverdyan's opinion, is presented differently in the
report. "The issue is that we haven't been able to present the problem
of TV channels in our country in terms of real freedom of speech, the
situation that has been there since A1+ and Noyan Tapan were closed."
Alaverdyan thinks: "If we look at ourselves, we will see that the
rest what the US Department of State states reflects this or that
drawback one way or the other." Alaverdyan assures that the problem
is presented in the report mildly. "We ourselves should realize that
they assess us, raising the criteria every year. All the same, their
approach to us is not equal to them, as their attitude would have been
toward freer countries." As for whether we had to take note of that
report or not, Alaverdyan said: "We have to take note of our social
needs. I think that the condition of our press and the condition of
society don't correspond to each other. Thus, critical articles and TV
shows don't reveal the deeply-rooted reasons for the situation that
exists today. And the situation that exists in our country today is
lack of the rule of law." Eva HAKOBYAN
Read more at: http://en.aravot.am/2013/04/24/153895/
© 1998 - 2013 Aravot - News from Armenia
From: A. Papazian