The Fifth Channel No Longer Broadcasts in Artsakh, the Reason is Political

The Fifth Channel no longer broadcasts in Artsakh, and the reason is political. This was reported today, June 12, via the Facebook page of 'Media Defender'. The announcement states: 'The broadcast of several television companies was suspended in Artsakh on June 1. The spokesperson for the President of Artsakh, Vahe Poghosyan, informed that the reason was technical; 'Artsakh Telecom' is waiting for equipment from France, and the broadcasts of the 'Fifth' Channel, 'A TV', and 'Shoghakat' will be restored soon.' The broadcasts of the last two channels have been restored, except for the Fifth Channel.

The director of the television station, Harutyun Harutyunyan, mentioned in a conversation that the channel's activities have been suspended due to political manipulations. When asked what steps they plan to take, Harutyunyan stated, 'We will not take any steps. They have declared war on us; God be with them.' He added that YouTube views have increased by 25,000 in recent days, along with increased views on Facebook. They have received numerous letters from the people of Artsakh, who will continue to follow them online.

It is noteworthy that earlier, the spokesperson for the President of Artsakh made a post on Facebook, stating that political manipulations are inappropriate, while just a few days later, the Ministry of Economy of Artsakh decided to broadcast only those television channels approved by the government at the expense of Artsakh taxpayers, and the Fifth Channel is not among them.

Today's discussion also touched upon this issue in the Artsakh Parliament, where one of the deputies mentioned that this is a matter that has gained public resonance and has a political subtext, even though it was stated that the execution report of the annual budget is being discussed, and the deputy was urged to raise the question in a different format.

The 'Media Defender' initiative expresses concern that the presidency of newly elected President Araik Harutyunyan began with such pressures on the media. The actual goal was to cease the activities of the Fifth Channel in Artsakh, for which such an approach was chosen.