The second quarter of 2024 was unprecedented in post-revolutionary Armenia in terms of the use of physical violence against media representatives- CPFS

ArmInfo. The second quarter of 2024 was unprecedented in post- revolutionary Armenia in terms of the use of physical violence against media representatives. This is stated in the quarterly report of the Committee to Protect Freedom of Speech (CPFS). 

At the same time, the Committee emphasized that this is due to the tense socio-political atmosphere against the background of the border delimitation process between Armenia and Azerbaijan, mass protests, numerous clashes between the police and demonstrators. The Committee also recalled that during the clashes between the police and demonstrators, journalists and cameramen were attacked. "Although in recent years, demonstrations, rallies and marches have often been accompanied by violations of the rights of media representatives, they reached their peak during the observed period. In particular, 14 cases of physical violence against journalists and cameramen were registered, when 23 people were injured. This is the highest figure recorded since 2018, and the number of victims is equal to the number recorded during the revolution. Most of the physical violence - 11, is the result of disproportionate actions by government agencies," the CPSF report says.

During the observed period, the flow of lawsuits against journalists and media increased. In April-June, 17 such new lawsuits were filed against 12 in the previous quarter. 5 lawsuits were filed by businessmen, 4 by government officials, 4 by citizens, 2 by lawyers, 1 by an NGO and 1 by an opposition member.

Over the quarter, the number of violations of the right to receive and disseminate official information from government agencies decreased. We recorded 19 such cases compared to 41 in the previous quarter. The problem here remains unjustified refusals to provide information requested by journalists and the media, unjustified delays in responding to written inquiries or vague responses that are not related to the essence of the questions," the Committee noted.  Thus, according to the Committee, in the first half of 2024, 14 cases (23 victims) of physical violence against journalists, 43 cases of pressure on the media, 60 cases of obstruction of information, as well as 29 court cases against representatives of the media on charges of insult and slander were recorded. It is also noted that during the quarter, international human rights and journalistic organizations Amnesty International, Freedom House, Reporters Without Borders, as well as the US State Department, mentioned cases of violation of the rights of media representatives in Armenia and the state of freedom of speech, recording that the media in the country continue to polarize.

"According to these reports, an important achievement is the created pluralistic environment. Thanks to this, Armenia improved its position by 6 points in the press freedom rating, according to "Reporters Without Borders". Last year, the Republic of Armenia was 49th in the list of 180 countries, this year - 43rd.  However, the organization stated that the legal framework regulating this area in the country does not sufficiently protect freedom of the press and does not meet European standards," the Committee noted.