Representative of OSCE: Violence, pressure, persecution and intimidation of journalists show that Armenia will have a long way to progress

• Monday, February 20, 10:56

 There is progress in Armenia in the context of freedom of speech, but the cases of violence, pressure, persecution and frightening of journalists described in the book entitled "Violence, intimidation and legal cases against journalists and the media in Armenia" show that Armenia has to pass a long way in
this direction, said Oliver McCoy, Democratization Programme Officer of the OSCE Office in Yerevan, at the presentation of the publication on 20 February 2012. He added that presentation of this book is a step forward towards improvement of the mass media sphere in Armenia.

For her part, Lusine Hakobyan, Attorney, President of Europe in Law Association, said that over the last years the cases of violence regarding press have reduced much, as the Armenian society has finally understood that the court is a more or less civilized way for settlement of similar problems.

The book offers an overview of freedom of speech and the press in Armenia during the period 2010-2011. Two years of monitoring have singled out the main obstacles hindering media development in Armenia -- physical violence carried out against reporters and the financial pressures brought to bear on media outlets via defamation/insult suits in the courts.