Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
04YEREVAN1119
2004-05-10 09:26:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Yerevan
Cable title:  

"CELEBRATION" OF WORLD PRESS FREEDOM DAY IN

Tags:  OPRC PGOV PREL KPAO AM 
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This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 YEREVAN 001119 

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EUR/PPD-MLOGSDON AND SRUEDY, EUR/CACEN-
ESIDEREAS, EUR, EUR/ACE, EUR/SNEC, EUR/SE

E.O. 12958; N/A
TAGS: OPRC PGOV PREL KPAO AM
SUBJECT: "CELEBRATION" OF WORLD PRESS FREEDOM DAY IN
ARMENIA


UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 YEREVAN 001119

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EUR/PPD-MLOGSDON AND SRUEDY, EUR/CACEN-
ESIDEREAS, EUR, EUR/ACE, EUR/SNEC, EUR/SE

E.O. 12958; N/A
TAGS: OPRC PGOV PREL KPAO AM
SUBJECT: "CELEBRATION" OF WORLD PRESS FREEDOM DAY IN
ARMENIA



1. SUMMARY: Competing media organizations sponsored
several events on Monday, May 3, in observance of World
Press Freedom Day. Generally critical of the
government of Armenia, the events also revealed a
certain amount of intramural hard feelings in the world
of Armenian journalism. The U.S. Embassy contribution
stressed a free press as a cornerstone of democracy and
continued U.S. support for the development of a free
press in Armenia. END SUMMARY

YEREVAN PRESS CLUB-LED ROUNDTABLE


2. "Partnership for Open Society," a coalition of media
organizations and NGOs that support a free press in
Armenia, sponsored a noon-time roundtable featuring
Boris Navasardyan, president of the Yerevan Press Club,
as master of ceremonies. Other panelists included the
DCM, whose remarks stressed traditional U.S. support
for freedom of the press and continued engagement in
the development of a free press in Armenia.


3. Other speakers on the panel took a much more
critical stance. The German ambassador, stating that
he represented the European Union (as Ireland,
currently the president of the EU, does not have an
embassy in Armenia),pointed out that the GOAM had
undertaken certain commitments on becoming a member of
the Council of Europe, and that recent government
actions had called into doubt whether the GOAM was
capable of living up to those commitments. The UN
Department of Public Information representative read
the message of the Secretary General of the UN, while
the UNDP representative strongly criticized the GOAM
for going backwards on press freedom in recent months.
The chairwoman of the Armenian parliament's Standing
Committee on Science, Education, Culture and Youth
Issues, Hranoush Hakobian, read a slightly exculpatory
statement arguing that cooperation between the
legislature and the media resulted in the new law "On
Mass Communication." The Country Manager of the World
Bank Armenia Office's statement at times appeared to
criticize the GOAM, but tended to veer into self-
criticism for not more effectively publicizing World
Bank programs in Armenia.


4. The chairwoman of the Union of Journalists of

Armenia (UJA) concluded the panel by reading out a bill
of particulars against the GOAM, calling on the Freedom
House 2003 report for further evidence that the
Armenian media is not free. The UJA statement
criticized the government for criminalizing libel,
refusing to provide a broadcast license to the
television station A1+, not preventing or investigating
attacks on journalists, and for police attacks against
journalists in the course of recent demonstrations.

RALLY IN SUPPORT OF A1+


5. Also on May 3, about 150 people participated in a
rally and demonstration in support of A1+, marching
from the House of Press to Charles Aznavour Square.
The journalists repeated their demands that the GOAM
hold broadcasting licensing competitions for the as-yet-
unassigned television frequencies, and to include
representatives of public organizations on the board
that evaluates the bids.

NATIONAL PRESS CLUB EVENT


6. Later in the day, the National Press Club held its
own World Press Freedom Day event which featured an
"Enemy of the Press" award ceremony. "Winners"
included President Robert Kocharian, who was named an
Enemy of the Press for the third year in a row; this
year Kocharian was cited for signing the law "On Mass
Communication" and for failing to pursue cases against
those who commit violence against journalists.
Hranoush Hakobian (see paragraph 3 above) was also
named as an Enemy of the Press for passage of the law
"On Mass Communication." (COMMENT: The president of
the National Press Club had her own draft of the law,
which was actually more restrictive than the final
result. However, she appears to have decided that
anyone who worked on or supported the law as it now
stands is opposed to a free press - see especially the
next nominee. END COMMENT) Boris Navasardyan,
president of the Yerevan Press Club, also earned a
nomination for an Enemy of the Press award (for his
work on the current law "On Mass Communication"),but
didn't garner enough votes to be declared an enemy.
Interestingly, although there were a number of
nominations for Friend of the Press, no one received
enough votes to win that designation.


7. The participants also criticized the GOAM in line
with the Yerevan Press Club roundtable above, and
issued their own statement in support of television
station A1+.


8. COMMENT. It is generally recognized that the GOAM
has significant control over the political news
broadcast on television, either through direct
ownership (national public TV),ownership of stations
by friends of the current administration, or by self-
censorship among the rest of the broadcasters (taking
their lesson from what happened to A1+ and Noyan Tapan
TV stations). The print media, on the other hand,
expresses a wide variety of opinions, but is weak (most
newspapers are not commercially viable and require
support from a "backer"),highly politicized
(reflecting the views of the "backers"),and not very
available outside of Yerevan. Armenian media figures
certainly have reason to call for greater freedom of
the press in Armenia, and took advantage of the
observance of World Press Freedom Day to speak out.
One can only hope that their message will be taken
seriously, by the government and the media alike. END
COMMENT.

ORDWAY