“SUPPRESSING MECHANISMS ARE BEING IMPROVED”

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“Terrible things are happening in the Armenian TV companies”, announced Boris Navasardyan, the President of Yerevan Press Club (YPC) today. “Team” research center with the support of Yerevan Press Club and Open Social Institute is carrying out the monitoring of broadcasting mass media. While presenting the interim observation results, Boris Navasardyan mentioned that unprecedented sharpness was felt. He pointed out that such sharpness was not felt in the past, except for 1996 elections, but today when there was still one month before the launch of electoral campaign, only negative preaching was heard on TV.

Boris Navasardyan considers that not only journalists, but also the political actors are to blame for this. For example, Levon Ter-Petrosyan does not answer to the questions of journalists, the authorities say what they want to say and it turns out that they are holding monologues. Navasardyan also notices that the field is polarized and the speeches of other candidates have become unwarranted, since in the result of observation the fight is between Serge Sargsyan and Levon Ter-Petrosyan. Taking into account the positive atmosphere around Gagik Tsarukyan which is formed by the TV, the President of YPC considers that he will have a pivotal influence during the elections.

Boris Navasardyan does not exclude that during the official campaign such sharpness may not be observed, since the presence of international observers may somehow have pressing role. As to the pressures of the law, he notices that violations of the Constitution are quite striking. According to the RA Law “On TV and Radio”, the Public Television had no right to present only one viewpoint, the National Committee of TV and Radio is competent of monitoring all TV companies and in case breaching appeal to court, but this does not refer to Public Television Company of Armenia.

Thus, “Public TV is a state in a state”, concluded Navasardyan. Besides, Public TV is out of law, only individual citizens may appeal to court to establish their constitutional right of receiving information.

In the result of the amendments to the law in 2005, the National Committee of TV and Radio should protect the freedom of speech and not “give information to the Tax Service discrediting “GALA” TV Channel and should advise the body to carry out check-ins after elections, so that the problem has not become a political target”, said Boris Navasarydan.

“Suppressing mechanisms are being improved currently”, said the President of YPC and noticed that the activities of mass media were comparatively successful during 1998-99 parliamentary elections, since independent TV Channels operated then, for example “A1+”.