PUBLIC TELEVISION INSTEAD OF COVERING BECOMES ONE OF POLES, RA
OMBUDSPERSON SAYS
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 8, NOYAN TAPAN. RA Ombudsperson Armen Haroutiunian is
not content with the preelection process, first of all with the
coverage of Public Television. The Ombudsperson said at the February 8
meeting with journalists at the Hayeli (Mirror) club that the working
schedule, approach, policy of private TV companies are a little
different and it is the Public Television that should be the main
guarantor of pluralism. According to A. Haroutiunian, in many cases
with its programs Public Television seems to become one of the poles,
through its correspondents it replies to this or that politician,
whereas it should only cover. Therefore, citizens’ right of receiving
information is violated to some extent.
A. Haroutiunian expressed anxiety about the circumstance that
intolerance is dominating at present, the evidence of which are shots
fired at preelection headquarters of different candidates, brawls,
threats addressed to some candidates, which is condemnable. The
Ombudsperson said that in connection with the call informing about the
brawl, which happened in the Nor Nork community the day before the
quick response group of the Ombudsperson’s office in the morning of
February 8 left for Nor Nork to carry out examinations on the spot.
The Ombudsperson considers inadmissible and condemnable the incidents,
which happened during RA presidential candidate Levon Ter-Petrosian’s
preelection meetings in Talin and Artashat. A. Haroutiunian said that
the quick response group of Ombudsperson’s office left for Talin, met
with policemen, defendants and found out that no pressure was exerted
upon the detained people.
Many applications have been received by the Ombudsperson’s office, in
particular, on offering election bribes, attempts to hamper activity of
preelection headquarters of all presidential candidates. "All this
shows that really intolerance is deepening in society." Condemning the
fact of threats to presidential candidates Artur Baghdasarian and Aram
Haroutiunian, the Ombudsperson did not exclude that it can be also use
of a preelection technology.