Employee of Municipality to be punushed (video)
The work of media representatives in Yerevan Municipality has been hampered, said Ashot Melikyan, Chairman of the Committee to Protect Freedom of Expression, referring to the behavior of Artur Gevorgyan, Head of the Yerevan City Hall press service, on February 19. It should be noted that Arthur Gevorgyan hindered the work of journalists of "A1 +" TV Company and Radio Liberty in the building of the Municipality with the help of policemen to remove them from the building. And Zaruhi Postanjyan, Head of Yerkir Tsirani faction, invited the journalists to the City Hall. "There has been a hindrance to journalists' work that is prosecuted under article 164 of the Criminal Code, and the media law has been violated. We have called the Mayor to hold that official accountable". "On February 28, "A1 +" received a letter from Arthur Gevorgyan, where he was trying to blame the TV crew for violating the media law," said Ashot Melikyan. "Someone in this middle-class official has taught that the media are his subordinates, while the public relations unit should be a link between the media and the Municipality." To the question, whether the entrance of the Yerevan Council of Elders to the journalists will be closed, whether this is the result of the head of the news service or the mayor's instruction, Melikyan replied "I do not know whether Arthur Gevorgyan was instructed or not, but in any case he would not have made that statement. That's the decision of the Municipality administration. I would like to remind those officials that they are a body of local self-government and should be interested in being open to the public and the media as the society becomes aware of their work through mass media. The accreditation procedure that operates in state bodies is not intended for local self-governance bodies. Therefore, a journalistic certificate should be enough to enter the City Hall and gather information. " Ashot Melikyan said that what happened was an encroachment on freedom of speech. On this occasion, a number of journalistic organizations have issued a joint statement calling for law enforcement agencies to file a criminal case on hindering journalists' professional activities.
