H1 and 'Honor and Dignity' Appeal to the Human Rights Defender

The Public Television of Armenia has publicly appealed to the Human Rights Defender concerning what it terms as attempts of "political pressure against First Channel." In the public complaint directed to the Defender, the Public Television expresses its expectation for an "urgent response" and urges to protect the channel's commitment to impartiality and non-discrimination, referencing statements from "various political forces" claiming that the television station exhibits discriminatory approaches regarding the broadcast of electoral videos.

The complaint specifically relates to the broadcasting of contentious videos provided by various political entities from a legal standpoint. This was announced in a statement released by the Human Rights Defender of Armenia. In other words, the publicly established organization, namely Public Television, expects the Human Rights Defender to protect it from the actions of a non-state organization with political affiliations.

On the other hand, a representative of the electoral alliance 'Honor and Dignity' has also approached the Human Rights Defender with a separate complaint, stating that Public Television operates with a discriminatory approach by rejecting the broadcast of their electoral advertising video without substantive justifications and merely noting that their video contains insults and slander.

According to the complaint, the actions of Public Television are politically motivated, provoked by the Government, and constitute a flagrant violation of the law, as the television station does not have the authority to determine what constitutes insult or slander. It has, under this pretext, violated their political rights and implemented censorship, while it previously aired clearly offensive and slanderous statements in the propaganda materials of other political forces, including regarding themselves.

In response, the Human Rights Defender of Armenia informs Public Television that the constitutional law on the Human Rights Defender does not specify powers for the Defender in specific cases, particularly against political organizations. Therefore, the government-funded television station cannot receive support from the Human Rights Defender in this particular instance, as the Defender's authority does not include the protection of state organizations in specific matters.

The complaint from the representative of the 'Honor and Dignity' alliance is addressed against the government-established television channel, which, according to the alliance's complaint, acted based on government directives. Regarding this specific complaint, the Human Rights Defender will send written inquiries to Public Television and the Commission on Television and Radio (CTR), after which it will be possible to evaluate the actions of Public Television.