On June 23, last year, to investigate the criminal case filed by the facts of impeding the journalists’ legal professional activities at the Baghramyan Avenue in Yerevan, a regress has been recorded from the formation of the investigation team. This was announced at the “LOFT” self-development Center by advocate Tigran Safaryan.
Today, the Committee for the Center to Protect Freedom of Expression has organized a meeting which was attended by the journalists, media representatives and lawyers suffered on June 23. The meeting discussed the progress of criminal cases filed on impeding the journalists’ professional activities and the future plans.
Until the formation of the investigative team, only one investigator was examining the case. Lawyer Tigran Safaryan expressed an opinion that this single investigator was working more efficiently alone. “We have reporting submitted by the activists and protesters saying that they were attached to the case. An investigator for the case of the journalists called everybody in a few days recognizing them to be a victim.”
On June 23, affected journalist of iLur.am, Hakob Karapetyan, noted that after the formation of the investigation team, no questioning or cross-examination was held. “Under my initiative, we compiled questions with the help of Tigran Safaryan and sent it to the Special Investigation Service. The received answer noted two sentences saying that 18 media representatives were recognized as victims. They did not find appropriate to provide other information.”
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Journalist of Lragir.am, Tehmine Yenokyan, informed that the last time she has looked at the documents and has learned what examinations were carried out. “Even my video that I presented was enclosed to the case but no examination was carried out and it was not in the list as viewed or edited. We have only signed that we have read the results of the examination.”
Chairman for the Center to Protect Freedom of Expression, Ashot Melikyan, told that there is a discrimination on the case for the reimbursement of the journalists’ damages devices, “The police chief had promised to reimburse the losses incurred to all of them. I was aware that the memory cards for the video cameras belonging to a number of journalists are not reimbursed. I wrote a letter to the police chief saying that a discrimination approached is practiced on this matter. My question was whether the police are going to fill in this gap and if so, in what timeframes.”
Ashot Melikyan was answered from the police that as a result of service investigation, no information regarding the damaging of the iLur.am journalist’s camera or seizure is obtained, “Hence, no proceeding on reimbursement for the damage can be carried out. Therefore, the publications and reports that we will return the memory card if you take the appeal back, in fact, did not serve as a basis for them. Regarding the seizure and damaging of the memory cards of the Epress.am journalists’ cameras, they informed that they have not received the appeal.”
Ashot ISRAELYAN
