PRESS IN ARMENIA DESPERATELY AGGRESSIVE
Support A1+!Not long ago Defense Minister Serge Sargsyan stated that our press is free more than it is needed.
Human rights activist Vardan Harutyunyan considers that Serge Sargsyan confuses two notions – freedom and aggressiveness of press. “Free press in the press that functions in free society, where each word or thought finds response. If New York Times writes that a senator has taken a bribe, it should bear responsibility for the information”, he said. In his opinion, our press is desperately aggressive.
In his opinion, free press, strong state, free and strong citizens can exist only in conditions of civic society. It is natural that there can’t be free press until we have free society. “The authorities should not complaint of aggressive press, as they do not have will for the formation of civic society. According to Vardan Harutyunyan, freedom of press should be fixed in the Constitution. “However implementation of such a clause can be questioned presently”, he says adding that the law “On Press” in not a necessity in Armenia. If freedom of speech is fixed in the Constitution, it is enough. The law exists for introducing limitations and divisions. I think no limitations should function in this view.
According to another human rights activit, chairman of the Helsinki Association Mikael Danielyan, there is no freedom of speech in Armenia, though there is censure and self-censure, what badly harms the democratic processes in the republic. Mikael danielyan also considers that there shoud not be any law on press, since it would limit constitutional rights. «Free press, no censure. This line is enough for free press in the country. Any law limits rights», he resumed.
Diana Markosyan
