The Special Investigative Service Sends a Letter to the 'Zhoghovurd' Newspaper

On March 20, the editorial office of the 'Zhoghovurd' newspaper received a letter from the Special Investigative Service (SIS), dated March 16.

The Armlur.am website published the newspaper's response, which we present below: "Thus, in a letter dated March 16, the SIS turned to the 'Zhoghovurd' newspaper, stating, 'On March 14 and 15, 2019, excerpts from the interrogation records of Felix Tokhyan, a member of the Constitutional Court who was questioned as a witness in the events of March 1, 2008, and Gurgen Melikyan, the former Deputy Minister of Defense of the Republic of Armenia, were published in the issues of the 'Zhoghovurd' newspaper without the consent of the body conducting the proceedings. Based on the above, I request that you provide the source from which the interrogation records of the mentioned individuals were obtained.'"

However, the 'Zhoghovurd' newspaper, relying on Article 5 of the Law of the Republic of Armenia on Mass Media ('Those engaged in journalistic activities and journalists are not obliged to disclose the source of information'), does not intend to reveal its source, even if we are prepared to go through the most difficult trials; we will not disclose our source. Moreover, this letter is strange in that the SIS urges us not to publish the testimonies of other witnesses in the March 1 case if they are with us.

Naturally, the 'Zhoghovurd' newspaper cannot comply with the SIS's recommendations because no security force or law enforcement agency in the Republic of Armenia has the right to speak to the press with recommendations or warnings. Furthermore, we disseminate information while adhering to all norms of the Law of the Republic of Armenia on Mass Media and journalistic ethics; thus, we will continue our practice and will never succumb to any provocation. The SIS's recommendation is nothing but pressure to suspend our further activities. Moreover, the SIS's approach of trying to uncover sources and create noise aims to deprive us of journalistic sources, which are essential components of our work; through these sources, we can make information accessible to the public.

The 'Zhoghovurd' newspaper will also address this challenge and, without revealing the source, will continue to serve the public interest. Incidentally, it should be noted that the letter was sent by the Senior Investigator of the Department for Investigation of General Crimes, Heghine Mushakyan, who leads the investigative group of the criminal case.