YEREVAN PRESS CLUB WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
SEPTEMBER 19-25, 2008
HIGHLIGHTS:
"PRESS CLUB" AND "PRESS CLUB+" ON AIR OF "YERKIR MEDIA" AGAIN
THE US STATE DEPARTMENT ABOUT FREEDOM OF RELIGION: BROADCAST MEDIA CONTINUE
TO LABEL RELIGIOUS GROUPS OTHER THAN THE ARMENIAN APOSTOLIC CHURCH AS
"SECTS"
"ARARAT" INSTEAD OF "NOR ALIK"
RAFIK HOVHANNISIAN AWARDED THE TITLE OF JOURNALIST EMERITUS
ROMAN ZAKIAN PASSED AWAY
"PRESS CLUB" AND "PRESS CLUB+" ON AIR OF "YERKIR MEDIA" AGAIN
>From September 24 a cycle of "Press Club" shows restarted on air of "Yerkir
Media" TV company. It is produced by Yerevan Press Club with support of the
Open Society Institute Human Rights and Governance Grants Program. "Press
Club" will be aired on Wednesdays, at 23.00. The discussion subjects of
representatives of state structures, political parties, NGOs and media will
be actual Armenian social-political issues.
On September 24 the guests of the "Press Club" host, the President of
Yerevan Press Club Boris Navasardian, were the deputy of RA National
Assembly, member of the Council of Republican Party of Armenia Karen
Avagian, leader of the parliamentary faction "Heritage" Armen Martirosian,
and observer of "Golos Armenii" newspaper Marina Mkrtchian. Participants of
the show discussed the obligations of Armenia before the Council of Europe
and implementation of PACE Resolutions 1609 "The Functioning of Democratic
Institutions in Armenia" and 1620 "The Implementation by Armenia of Assembly
Resolution 1609 (2008)".
>From September 27 another YPC program cycle, "Press Club+", will be on air
of "Yerkir Media" again. It is supported by the Embassy of Great Britain in
Armenia. Every Saturday on 17.40 the participants of the talk show will
discuss the problems of development of local self-administration in Armenia.
"Press Club" and "Press Club+" are also broadcasted by a number of regional
channels of Armenia.
THE US STATE DEPARTMENT ABOUT FREEDOM OF RELIGION: BROADCAST MEDIA CONTINUE
TO LABEL RELIGIOUS GROUPS OTHER THAN THE ARMENIAN APOSTOLIC CHURCH AS
"SECTS"
On September 19 International Religious Freedom Report of the US Department
was released. The report was prepared by the Bureau of Democracy, Human
Rights, and Labor, and covers the period from July 1, 2007 to June 30, 2008.
In the part of the report devoted to Armenia it is particularly said that
”Government generally did not enforce existing legal restrictions on
religious freedom", and "the Constitution provides for freedom of religion
and the right to practice, choose, or change religious belief".
While speaking about the restrictions on religious freedom, the authors of
the report pointed out that in May and June 2008 "the progovernment "Hayots
Ashkhar" and "Golos Armenii" daily newspapers published anti-Semitic and
anti-Masonic accusations against former president and current opposition
leader Levon Ter-Petrossian". "Local observers viewed the inflammatory
articles as attempts to portray the opposition leader as a traitor to the
country and stir up anti-Semitic sentiment in a country traditionally known
for its welcoming attitudes toward Jews", stressed the US Department report.
On June 1, 2008 the First Channel of Public Television of Armenia "broadcast
a 10-minute segment on its weekly "360 Degrees" news magazine program, the
sole focus of which appeared to be to disparage and undermine the
opposition": "The footage incorporated the anti-Semitic and anti-Masonic
attacks by ‘Hayots Ashkhar’ and ‘Golos Armenii’."
On February 27, 2008, after the presidential elections, "Haylur" news
program of PTA First Channel presented a coverage of a post-presidential
election opposition rally, "focusing primarily on an Israeli flag – one of
many nations’ flags in the crowd – with the intention of vilifying
Ter-Petrossian, whose wife is Jewish".
"Media outlets continued to label religious groups other than the Armenian
Church as "sects" in their broadcasting and transmitted negative programs
about them. Various television stations broadcast discussions in which
representatives of the Armenian Church and/or other participants labeled
religious minority groups as enemies of the state and national unity",
emphasizes the part of the US Department International Religious Freedom
Report devoted to Armenia.
"ARARAT" INSTEAD OF "NOR ALIK"
On September 21 broadcasting of a new channel of the Public Television of
Armenia "Ararat" started. This twenty-four-hour culture channel is aired
instead of the PTA youth channel "Nor Alik".
RAFIK HOVHANNISIAN AWARDED THE TITLE OF JOURNALIST EMERITUS
On September 17 by the decree of the RA President Serge Sargsian, political
observer of "Armenia" TV company Rafik Hovhannisian was awarded title of
Journalist Emeritus. This reward for his fruitful work of many years was
timed to the 17th anniversary of declaration of independence of Armenia
celebrated on September 21.
ROMAN ZAKIAN PASSED AWAY
On September 22, at the age of 72, Roman Zakian, the head of Illustration
Department of "Respublika Armenia" newspaper, suddenly passed away.
Yerevan Press Club expresses sincere condolences to the friends and family
of Roman Zakian.
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Editor of YPC Newsletter – Elina POGHOSBEKIAN
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