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FIRST OMBUDSPERSON OF ARMENIA: JUDGMENT MAKING ILUR.AM AND HRAPARAK EXPOSE THEIR SOURCES IS A TOUGH ATTEMPT TO RESTRICT FREEDOM OF SPEECH IN ARMENIA
by Nana Martirosyan
Wednesday, July 16, 15:39
The judgment of the Court of Kentron and Nork-Marash administrative
districts of Yerevan, which makes iLur.am and Hraparak expose their
sources, is a tough attempt to restrict freedom of speech in Armenia,
Larisa Alaverdyan, the first Ombudsperson of Armenia, has told
ArmInfo's correspondent.
"This judgment is like a personal insult for me, because I have also
made a contribution to development of freedom of speech in Armenia",
says Alaverdyan. She believes that the only obvious achievement of
Armenia is the freedom of expression. "It is another thing that the
freedom of expression has no big impact, but the opportunity to freely
express an opinion exists and it is unacceptable to deprive us of it",
she stresses.
To recall, for the first time the Court of Kentron and Nork-Marash
administrative districts of Yerevan has taken a decision making the
mass media expose their sources of information. In particular, the
matter concerns Hraparak newspaper and iLur.am website, which published
information about Head of Shirak Police Vardan Nadaryan, who stopped
the car of Artur Alexanyan, hit him and pulled a gun at Alexanyan
and his brother. Based on this information, the Special Investigation
Service initiated criminal proceedings, and Prosecutor General Gevorg
Kostanyan said that in the case of grave crimes and felonies the court
might force the journalist to expose his source of information. The
National Press Club has already disseminated a statement demanding that
the Court of Appeal should revise the decision of the first instance
Court of Kentron and Nork-Marash administrative districts of Yerevan.
http://www.arminfo.am/index.cfm?objectid=DF7EEAA0-0CDD-11E4-A1410EB7C0D21663
From: A. Papazian
by Nana Martirosyan
Wednesday, July 16, 15:39
The judgment of the Court of Kentron and Nork-Marash administrative
districts of Yerevan, which makes iLur.am and Hraparak expose their
sources, is a tough attempt to restrict freedom of speech in Armenia,
Larisa Alaverdyan, the first Ombudsperson of Armenia, has told
ArmInfo's correspondent.
"This judgment is like a personal insult for me, because I have also
made a contribution to development of freedom of speech in Armenia",
says Alaverdyan. She believes that the only obvious achievement of
Armenia is the freedom of expression. "It is another thing that the
freedom of expression has no big impact, but the opportunity to freely
express an opinion exists and it is unacceptable to deprive us of it",
she stresses.
To recall, for the first time the Court of Kentron and Nork-Marash
administrative districts of Yerevan has taken a decision making the
mass media expose their sources of information. In particular, the
matter concerns Hraparak newspaper and iLur.am website, which published
information about Head of Shirak Police Vardan Nadaryan, who stopped
the car of Artur Alexanyan, hit him and pulled a gun at Alexanyan
and his brother. Based on this information, the Special Investigation
Service initiated criminal proceedings, and Prosecutor General Gevorg
Kostanyan said that in the case of grave crimes and felonies the court
might force the journalist to expose his source of information. The
National Press Club has already disseminated a statement demanding that
the Court of Appeal should revise the decision of the first instance
Court of Kentron and Nork-Marash administrative districts of Yerevan.
http://www.arminfo.am/index.cfm?objectid=DF7EEAA0-0CDD-11E4-A1410EB7C0D21663
From: A. Papazian