Obstruction of Media Work in Tavush, Arrests Made: Statement

On April 27, masked police officers stopped a vehicle transporting journalists on the Ijevan-Kirants highway in Tavush Province, Armenia. They forcibly removed the reporters from the car, threw NewDay.am's operator Janibek Khachatryan to the ground, handcuffed him, and attempted to detain him. Numerous warnings indicating that he was a media representative covering protests occurring during that time went unanswered. Shortly thereafter, the operator was released.

On the same day, while dispersing protests in the village of Dsegh along the Yerevan-Tbilisi road, police obstructed the professional activities of Oragir.News staff members covering the event. They pushed journalist Ani Nerkaryan to the ground, causing her injury, while operator Zaven Ohanian was forced to stop filming.

The undersigned journalistic organizations express our outrage regarding the baseless aggression and brutality displayed by law enforcement against media representatives covering protests related to the border demarcation process in the Armenian-Azerbaijani contact zone. Just days earlier, on April 25, we highlighted in an official statement that it has become a standard practice for police to target media employees performing their duties during protests, attacking them and using violence.

We also noted that such acts typically go unpunished. We reaffirm our previously voiced demands for an immediate internal investigation and accountability for police officers who have abused their authority, as well as calls to eliminate the abusive practices of suppression against journalists by law enforcement agencies.

Furthermore, we demand the Armenian government organize discussions involving senior officials from law enforcement agencies, journalistic organizations, and media representatives to address these issues, make decisions to prevent violations of journalists' rights, and implement effective measures to cease illegal violence.