Serious pressures expected on media in 2019: expert

Aysor.am has conducted interview with political analyst Aghasi Yenokyan about pressures on mass media, violation of freedom of speech, criticism and intolerance of authorities against him.

- Mr Yenokyan, Committee on Protection of Freedom of Speech has presented the 2018 report, according to which the number of cases of violence against journalists in 2018 has grown as compared with the 2017.

- It is mainly agreed with the violence toward reporters during the April developments. In this regard the revolutionary and post-revolutionary situations have been separated. But if to view in comparison no special events took place in 2017 thus few cases have been registered.

- The report also says that in post-revolutionary period the law enforcers visited Aysor.am and News.am offices, while the PM stated recently in Davos that the media has never been as free in Armenia as it is today. But today head of Blognews has been summoned to the National Security Service. Does not it mean that the freedom of media in Armenia ends where it becomes undesirable for authorities?

- I think it is not correct when prime minister assesses the country’s media. It should be done  by readers and journalists. Now a campaign has started against the media with the authorities trying every time to restrict media’s freedom. The case with Blognews is another proof. NA vice speaker once said that media has started a campaign against them. I think it is not correct by them as the media is to keep the authorities in the center of attention and criticize if necessary.

- Can we say that the authorities’ claim that media has started a campaign against them is because they do not like criticism?

- Why should the media praise authorities? If the authorities work well they get salary and do not need praise of media. The media refers to the issues. It is their work. I think what happens is the result of wrong policy of authorities.

The painful thing is that some of the representatives of authorities were journalists before and with unknown reason they have forgotten how they worked or they think that they are of other quality, that they are intact. Yes, we can state that the authorities do not tolerate criticism. It is also because they are more sensible toward the media. The previous authorities many times ignored media publications.

- The report registers that in 2018 the online media improved its position from partially free into free. Can we say that in 2019 we will have another picture regarding freedom of speech?

- On one hand they claim that pressures on media grew in 2018 while on the other they say it has become free. For me these claims are unclear. But I have many times stated that I expect serious pressures on press in 2019 as these authorities do not tolerate criticism.