Wednesday, June 3 2020 19:09

ArmInfo.The Armenian leadership is not trying in any way to influence the freedom of the media, the head of the Armenian Television and Radio Commission Tigran Hakobyan stated today from the rostrum of the parliament, presenting the  commission's report for 2019.

He noted that this report has become more voluminous and is not  formal. <In January of this year, we sent inquiries to television and  radio companies with a request to answer the question of whether the  branches of power exert pressure on them, or whether the authorities  are trying to intervene in their work. And from all the television  companies, except one, they received a negative answer. I will not  name this company, since the official who tried to influence this  channel was dismissed>, - Hakobyan emphasized.

Meanwhile, the head of the commission noted that television channels  complained that some officials refused to give interviews. <However,  all this does not mean that we consider freedom of speech in the  country satisfactory. In addition to the authorities, there are other  factors that impede the establishment of free media in the country,  and first of all, this applies to the co-founders and shareholders of  the media.  They often interfere in the work of the media, in their  personnel policy, and thus impede their free activity.  This is not  least due to a decrease in advertising revenue. I also think that  there are some legislative flaws that I hope will be fixed in the  near future>, Hakobyan emphasized.

He also noted that in 2019 5 media outlets filed a commission with  the court. <I want to note that since 2001, since the Commission was  created, lawsuits have never been filed against it. The one exception  was the TV company? 1+ (it was closed under Robert Kocharian). This  suggests that the relationship between the TV channels and the  commission has reached a new level, and the relationship is no longer  being clarified in the offices. They are clarified within the  framework of the law in the courts,> Hakobyan emphasized.

Hakobyan stated that the issue of media freedom is constantly in the  center of attention of the members of the Commission. "In turn, I  want to declare with all responsibility that no pressure is exerted  on the members of the Commission and that the authorities are in no  way trying to interfere in our work," the chairman of the commission  on television and radio concluded.