CPFE: Violations against journalists in Armenia were reduced in 2018,  but the number of violations of the right of the media to obtain  information increased

ArmInfo. The Committee to Protect Freedom of Expression presented another report on the situation with freedom of speech in Armenia and violations of the rights of journalists and media in the first quarter of 2018.

Thus, according to the source, the first quarter was a period of  stormy legislative initiatives to restrict freedom of information and  the activities of journalists. "In Jan-Mar 2018, the number of  violations in the sphere of obtaining and disseminating information  increased, which resulted from the transfer of power to a closed  method of activity, however, this quarter was calm enough in the  absence of cases of physical violence against journalists, and a  reduction in the number of incidents creating obstacles to the  professional activities of journalists, for example, in the first  quarter of 2018, there were no recorded cases of violence against  journalists, meanwhile for the same period of 2017, there have been 3  such cases. Also, the number of cases of pressure on the media has  decreased, in the first quarter of 2018 there have been 12 such  incidents, meanwhile, there were 32 such incidents during the same  period of 2017. However, the receipt and dissemination of information  sharply increased, and if in 2017, 5 such cases were recorded, in  2018, there are already 14 such cases," the report says.

As a vivid example of the limitation of media activities, the CPFE  has cited the government-initiated law "On the activities and  structure of the government", according to which all meetings of the  executive body are held behind closed doors, and the media are  deprived of the opportunity to be present, as it was before.  As  another example, the CPFE brought the decision of the mayor's office  to prohibit the presence of the media in the meetings of the Council  of Elders. The report notes that this initiative of the mayor of  Yerevan Taron Margaryan was adopted with violations of the  regulations and violates the rights of journalists. The CPFE  considers the legislative initiative on amending the law "On  Television and Radio" as problematic.