In the “Press Freedom Index – 2023” compiled by the “Reporters without Borders” organization, Armenia took an “honorable” 49th place among 180 countries, improving its index by two points and significantly surpassing all the countries of the region.
I need to find out how the level of press freedom is measured. Purely “by eye,” it is clear that, just like before 2018, the situation in our country is better than in Azerbaijan, Turkey, and Iran.
To tell the truth, I don’t see “unprecedented progress,” although, of course, the possibilities of spreading the media are increasing, and thanks to the Internet, for example, the cancellation of a TV station no longer has dramatic consequences.
The official Armenian propaganda presents the case in such a way that we have achieved “unprecedented success,” and the only problem is that legal means should be found to fight against disinformation. “Translated” means: how can we make sure that no one will be able to harm our authorities? I think the authorities have nothing to worry about because the courts are in their pockets, just like in the “former” times.
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The de facto Mayor of Yerevan, Tigran Avinyan, sued journalist Davit Sargsyan for defaming his honor, dignity, and business reputation. By the way, I don’t understand why “business reputation” is mentioned. As far as I know, Avinyan is a government official, not a businessman, at least officially.
Whether or not the journalist tarnished the official’s business reputation remains to be seen. But, to secure the claim, the court has already decided to punish Sargsyan and placed a lien on his account and real estate. In other words, if the journalist does not receive a salary, the investigation of the case will probably be more effective. I wonder if such circumstances become known to “Reporters without Borders”.
“Molorak” newspaper was closed in 1999 by a court decision, to protect the business reputation of Mikhail Baghdasarov.
Aram ABRAHAMYAN
