Attorney Submits Motion to Court to Lift Journalist's Account Freeze

It has been reported that on February 25, 2023, in an episode of the program "Two Faces" by journalist Davit Sargsyan, published on 168.am and the website's YouTube channel, there was coverage on Tigran Avinyan, the mayoral candidate of the "Civil Contract" party for the upcoming Yerevan city council elections. Following this, the Deputy Mayor of Yerevan filed a lawsuit claiming significant compensation and requested precautionary measures to be applied, resulting in a freeze on the accounts of the media outlet and the journalist.

Attorney Harutyun Harutyunyan has made a statement indicating that Tigran Avinyan has requested the lifting of the freeze on the journalist's accounts. "After discussing the situation with my client, Tigran Avinyan, regarding the precautionary measures applied against journalist Davit Sargsyan in our lawsuit and in response to the statement issued on May 12 by journalistic organizations in Armenia, as well as to emphasize Tigran Avinyan's position that he has no intention of bankrupting any media outlet or causing specific financial discomfort, I have submitted a motion to the court today to lift the freeze on the property and financial resources of journalist Davit Sargsyan," he stated.

He also emphasized that any media outlet and journalist, while exercising their right to freedom of expression, must show the utmost diligence in their professional work, as their words and writings primarily aim to influence the public, shaping public opinion, where integrity should be a primary and unquestionable value. Unfortunately, practice shows that often requesting a retraction outside of court is ineffective, while seeking judicial protection against defamation is the most effective measure."