I have been in the journalism field for over 30 years, but I do not recall such pressure on the press: Armine Ohanian

The agenda of today’s government meeting included the question of approving the draft law on amendments and supplements to the "Advertising Law." Through these amendments, the government aims to ban the advertising of gambling or totalizator, which, according to media executives, represents a serious financial blow.

Armine Ohanian, editor of the newspaper "Hraparak," stated in an interview with ArmLur.am that depriving media outlets of advertising from bookmaker companies is aimed at undermining the independence of the press and its financial resources. "The author of the law, the same person, Arthur Khovhannisyan, a member of the 'Civil Contract' faction, writes posts against the media several times a week, and it is clear that he is positioned as a press overseer, a controller of sorts," says Ohanian, adding that the law is not newly published. Previously, there have already been time restrictions imposed on bookmaker advertising, which resulted in media outlets losing significant amounts of money.

"On one hand, they say the economy is not growing, we are in a crisis, and businesses do not have enough money to advertise on websites, while on the other hand, the government restricts the advertising of those organizations that could be a financial source for the press for some period. It is no secret that press freedom primarily relies on financial freedom and independence," adds the editor-in-chief of "Hraparak." In presenting a rough estimate, Armine Ohanian notes that about 50-60 percent of advertising on websites consists of gambling advertisements from bookmaker companies, and if this is reduced, the budget of the media outlet correspondingly decreases.

"The government talks all day about press freedom, urging not to take shadow funds, to disclose the list of owners or sponsors, and so on, while on the other hand, it is cutting off the branch on which the press is sitting. The government has never been so filled with hatred and intent to annihilate the media as it is today. I have been working in the journalism field for more than 30 years, and even during the last years of the Soviet period, I was a journalist, but I do not remember anything like this, where there is such a persistent effort to fight against the press, to pressure, cut off, and prohibit using all possible means," concludes our interlocutor.