Acts of violence against media representatives during June 23 events higher than in March 2008 (video)
About 20 journalists and one cameraman were affected in 5 cases of physical violence reported in the first half of 2015, the Chairman of the Committee to Protect Freedom of Expression said on July 31. Ashot Melikyan today presented a report on the situation of freedom of expression and rights of journalists and media for the first half of 2015. “The first half of 2015 was unprecedented in terms of violence and it reached its culmination during the June 23 crackdown on Baghramyan Avenue. The number of acts of violence against media representatives was even higher than in 2008, including the instances during the notorious March 2008 events in Yerevan,” he said. Mr Melikyan said violence was used against 13 media representatives on June 23, with ten reporters and cameramen encountering obstacles in their professional activities. “Representatives of opposition and pro-government media outlets were equally subjected to violence, without any discrimination during the June 23 atrocities,” he stressed. “People who masterminded the Baghramyan crackdown wanted to make sure that there is no flow of information. They believe with their medieval mindset that in the 21st century it is possible to conceal any information,” Mr Melikyan continued. Then he recalled the April 22 incident when reporters of A1+ Company and Azatutyun Radio Station were disallowed to film a group of businessman and a minister who were sitting outside the Armenia Marriott Hotel in Yerevan. Security officials of the hotel first prevented the reporters from carrying out their professional activities and then began hitting them after they continued shooting.
