On September 19, at the seventh conference of “Pan-Armenian Forum of Journalists,” the editor-in-chief of “Iranian-Armenians” website, Rubik Ghahraman-Minassian began his speech with the fact that the conference is taking place in a country, which this year «Freedom house» organization ranked among the countries with no free press. However, the audience did not agree with this statement claiming that the Armenian press is free. In the conversation with Aravot.am, Rubik Ghahraman-Minassian mentioned that self-censorship is found more in Armenia than in Iran. “True, there are many journalists and bloggers in Iran who are imprisoned, but these people knowing that what they wrote would result in their imprisonment did it and were imprisoned. Here, there is no such a thing, here, people are afraid of suddenly one may say, why are you writing, for altercation? In that respect, Iran is freer, in other words, Iranian press is still enviable for me.”
He added that there is no press in Armenia, just a few good daily newspapers, and the online media, according to him, is still unavailable. Rubik Ghahraman-Minassian believes that it would be only when the state ceases to disturb. “When the state ceases to interfere, the press freedom index will rise, and the press itself would begin to infiltrate, to find its own way.” Referring to his statement, the response of attendees to the seventh conference of Pan-Armenian Forum of Journalists, he mentioned that when the Armenian press becomes developed, and when «Freedom House» would announce that Armenia has a free press, many of the attendees would start applauding the «Freedom House». “When «Freedom House» says that Turkey and Azerbaijan are not free, these people make a reference to the «Freedom House», in other words, there is a paradox. If «Freedom House» is worthy of making a reference, then, «Freedom House» itself says that Armenia is not free, too.”
Ami CHICHAKYAN
