Armenia’s Public TV coverage violated presumption of innocence principle: Armenia’s Television and Radio Commission issues statement

Armenia’s Television and Radio Commission issued a statement regarding the coverage of the Armenian Public TV about the chairman of the Constitutional Court Hrayr Tovmasyan.

Reminding that it is not authorized to interfere into the content policy of broadcasters and acts being guided with exclusively sphere regulating legislature and rules adopted by the commission, it says that it shares the viewpoint of the Human Rights Defender that the coverage has violated the principle of presumption of innocence the demand of preservation of which relates to all, including the mass media.

“But in this case, we find it necessary to register that the responsibility for the violation of the mentioned principle first of all falls on the SIS,” the statement says, adding that the violation of presumption of innocence is not being regulated by the law on Television and Radio and does not suppose application of fines or other measures of punishment.

The Commission also expressed its surprise that the Public Television and Radio Council refused to present its clarifications over the mentioned coverage.

“According to the Article 31 of the law on Television and Radio, the Council is responsible for the program policy of public television, preservation of professional behavior rules of journalists and is obliged to study on the basis of received complaints the cases of violation of rules of professional behavior of the journalists,” the statement said, adding that the Council is obliged to respond to the cases which received big public resonance and enter into a dialogue with the public.

“The Commission urges all broadcasters to preserve the internationally adopted norms and rules of journalism, not make use of flaws of the acting legislation and not use mass media as a tool to serve the political and personal interests, realize the social responsibility, not violate the right of citizens to get accurate and multi-sided information,” the statement said.