Armenian News
KOCHARIAN SOFTENS CURBS ON PRESS FREEDOM
Radio Liberty
March 13 2008
Czech Rep.
President Robert Kocharian on Thursday softened severe restrictions
on media freedom stemming from the state of emergency in Yerevan which
he imposed in the wake of last month's disputed presidential election.
Media outlets not controlled by his government were not sure, however,
that they can resume uncensored news reporting on Friday.
Under the 20-day state of emergency declared by Kocharian on March
1, Armenian media could only cite the government and law-enforcement
bodies when covering national politics. More than a dozen independent
and opposition newspapers and online news services suspended or were
forced to suspend their operations as a result.
Kocharian's office said they can now resume their work provided that
they do not publish "obviously false or destabilizing information"
about domestic political affairs. It said they will also not be
allowed to call for or disseminate calls for Armenians to participate
in unsanctioned demonstrations.
The Yerevan Press Club, an independent media watchdog, criticized these
conditions, saying that they may serve as a smokescreen for government
censorship. "They may well be used for muzzling the independent and
opposition press," Mesrop Harutiunian, an YPC expert, told RFE/RL. He
said any newspaper report that containing views differing from the
official version of the March 1 unrest in Yerevan may be construed
by the authorities are "obviously false information."
Aram Abrahamian, editor of the independent daily "Aravot," shared
Harutiunian's concerns. "The question is what the authorities mean by
destabilizing reports," he said. "If they mean the opposition's views,
then they are wrong."
"We will try to publish tomorrow," Abrahamian told RFE/RL. But he
said the paper will again suspend publication "if we are told to
remove a particular word or even a letter."
Gegham Nazarian, editor of the opposition newspaper "Hayk," was also
skeptical about the easing of the media ban. "We will try to publish
tomorrow, even though we suspect that censors at the printing house
won't allow that for some reason," he said.
But Satik Seyranian, editor of another, more neutral publication,
"168 Zham," disagreed. "I think the decree is acceptable," she told
RFE/RL. "We must take into account the fact that the situation in
the country is tense. I think the media should refrain from carrying
inflammatory reports."
It was also unclear whether Kocharian's decree means the websites
of local electronic publications will be automatically unblocked by
the authorities on Friday. Nor was it immediately known if local
radio stations will be able to resume the retransmission of daily
Armenian-language news programs of RFE/RL.
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Radio Liberty
March 13 2008
Czech Rep.
President Robert Kocharian on Thursday softened severe restrictions
on media freedom stemming from the state of emergency in Yerevan which
he imposed in the wake of last month's disputed presidential election.
Media outlets not controlled by his government were not sure, however,
that they can resume uncensored news reporting on Friday.
Under the 20-day state of emergency declared by Kocharian on March
1, Armenian media could only cite the government and law-enforcement
bodies when covering national politics. More than a dozen independent
and opposition newspapers and online news services suspended or were
forced to suspend their operations as a result.
Kocharian's office said they can now resume their work provided that
they do not publish "obviously false or destabilizing information"
about domestic political affairs. It said they will also not be
allowed to call for or disseminate calls for Armenians to participate
in unsanctioned demonstrations.
The Yerevan Press Club, an independent media watchdog, criticized these
conditions, saying that they may serve as a smokescreen for government
censorship. "They may well be used for muzzling the independent and
opposition press," Mesrop Harutiunian, an YPC expert, told RFE/RL. He
said any newspaper report that containing views differing from the
official version of the March 1 unrest in Yerevan may be construed
by the authorities are "obviously false information."
Aram Abrahamian, editor of the independent daily "Aravot," shared
Harutiunian's concerns. "The question is what the authorities mean by
destabilizing reports," he said. "If they mean the opposition's views,
then they are wrong."
"We will try to publish tomorrow," Abrahamian told RFE/RL. But he
said the paper will again suspend publication "if we are told to
remove a particular word or even a letter."
Gegham Nazarian, editor of the opposition newspaper "Hayk," was also
skeptical about the easing of the media ban. "We will try to publish
tomorrow, even though we suspect that censors at the printing house
won't allow that for some reason," he said.
But Satik Seyranian, editor of another, more neutral publication,
"168 Zham," disagreed. "I think the decree is acceptable," she told
RFE/RL. "We must take into account the fact that the situation in
the country is tense. I think the media should refrain from carrying
inflammatory reports."
It was also unclear whether Kocharian's decree means the websites
of local electronic publications will be automatically unblocked by
the authorities on Friday. Nor was it immediately known if local
radio stations will be able to resume the retransmission of daily
Armenian-language news programs of RFE/RL.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ARMENIA RIOTS "ORGANIZED ACTION" - DETECTIVE
Interfax News Agency
Russia & CIS
March 12 2008
Russia
Ninety people have been arrested in connection with mass riots in
Yerevan that followed February's presidential election and, according
to the findings of a "preliminary investigation," were "a planned
and organized action," a senior Armenian detective said on Wednesday.
Supporters of former president Levon Ter-Petrosian were holding rallies
in the heart of Yerevan from February 20 to March 1, demanding the
annulment of the official results of the February 19 election,
according to which Prime Minister Serzh Sargsyan won the poll,
beating Ter-Petrosian and another candidate.
On March 1, protests grew into clashes between protesters and police
in which eight people were killed and more than 170 injured.
That day incumbent President Robert Kocharian ordered a 20-day state
of emergency in Yerevan.
"It has been found out in the course of a preliminary investigation
that the mass riots were a planned and organized action that was
coordinated from a single center and was designed to destabilize the
situation in the country and in Yerevan," Vaagn Arutiunian, senior
investigator for serious cases at the Special Criminal Investigation
Service, told reporters in Yerevan on Wednesday.
Akop Karakhanian, head of the prosecution service team overseeing
the investigation into the riots confirmed that the violence had been
preplanned and centrally controlled.
Karakhanian also said the opposition had taken psychotropic drugs and
that psychological pressure, which included use of neurolinguistic
programming, had been put on rioters.
"'Color revolution' technologies were used in the course of the
riots. They had been brought into line with national mentality,"
Karakhanian said.
Karakhanian declined to answer a question whether any forces outside
Armenia had been behind the riots. He pleaded the interests of the
investigation and national interests.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Interfax News Agency
Russia & CIS
March 12 2008
Russia
Ninety people have been arrested in connection with mass riots in
Yerevan that followed February's presidential election and, according
to the findings of a "preliminary investigation," were "a planned
and organized action," a senior Armenian detective said on Wednesday.
Supporters of former president Levon Ter-Petrosian were holding rallies
in the heart of Yerevan from February 20 to March 1, demanding the
annulment of the official results of the February 19 election,
according to which Prime Minister Serzh Sargsyan won the poll,
beating Ter-Petrosian and another candidate.
On March 1, protests grew into clashes between protesters and police
in which eight people were killed and more than 170 injured.
That day incumbent President Robert Kocharian ordered a 20-day state
of emergency in Yerevan.
"It has been found out in the course of a preliminary investigation
that the mass riots were a planned and organized action that was
coordinated from a single center and was designed to destabilize the
situation in the country and in Yerevan," Vaagn Arutiunian, senior
investigator for serious cases at the Special Criminal Investigation
Service, told reporters in Yerevan on Wednesday.
Akop Karakhanian, head of the prosecution service team overseeing
the investigation into the riots confirmed that the violence had been
preplanned and centrally controlled.
Karakhanian also said the opposition had taken psychotropic drugs and
that psychological pressure, which included use of neurolinguistic
programming, had been put on rioters.
"'Color revolution' technologies were used in the course of the
riots. They had been brought into line with national mentality,"
Karakhanian said.
Karakhanian declined to answer a question whether any forces outside
Armenia had been behind the riots. He pleaded the interests of the
investigation and national interests.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ARMENIAN RIGHTS ORGANIZATION DESCRIBES PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS AS NON- DEMOCRATIC
Interfax News Agency
Russia & CIS
March 12 2008
Russia
The Armenian human rights organization Helsinki Association has
qualified the recent presidential elections in the country as not
meeting democratic standards and called for suspending Armenia's
membership in the Council of Europe and other international
organizations.
"The Helsinki Association (Yerevan), which observed the February 19,
2008 presidential elections in Armenia and monitored the situation in
the post-election period, declares that the elections absolutely do
not meet democratic standards," the organization said in a statement
posted on the website titled 'Human Rights in Russia' ( www.hro.org ).
"The casting of fake ballots, the intimidation of voters, attacks on
journalists, the presence of local crime bosses at polling stations
in the capacity of election commission members, candidates'
representatives, or observers, and falsifications during the vote
counting could not fail to affect the voting results. All this prompted
natural objection from the opposition, which was reflected in peaceful
protests," it said.
The Helsinki Association urged international organizations "to demand
the invalidation of a decree of March 1, 2008 on imposing the state of
emergency in Yerevan," conduct "an unbiased and complete investigation
into the use of excessive force against demonstrators, in which foreign
experts would be involved," and also "suspend both Armenia's membership
in international organizations, including the Council of Europe, and
all programs on providing economic and financial assistance to Armenia
until it fully complies with international democratic standards and
its international commitments in the human rights area."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Interfax News Agency
Russia & CIS
March 12 2008
Russia
The Armenian human rights organization Helsinki Association has
qualified the recent presidential elections in the country as not
meeting democratic standards and called for suspending Armenia's
membership in the Council of Europe and other international
organizations.
"The Helsinki Association (Yerevan), which observed the February 19,
2008 presidential elections in Armenia and monitored the situation in
the post-election period, declares that the elections absolutely do
not meet democratic standards," the organization said in a statement
posted on the website titled 'Human Rights in Russia' ( www.hro.org ).
"The casting of fake ballots, the intimidation of voters, attacks on
journalists, the presence of local crime bosses at polling stations
in the capacity of election commission members, candidates'
representatives, or observers, and falsifications during the vote
counting could not fail to affect the voting results. All this prompted
natural objection from the opposition, which was reflected in peaceful
protests," it said.
The Helsinki Association urged international organizations "to demand
the invalidation of a decree of March 1, 2008 on imposing the state of
emergency in Yerevan," conduct "an unbiased and complete investigation
into the use of excessive force against demonstrators, in which foreign
experts would be involved," and also "suspend both Armenia's membership
in international organizations, including the Council of Europe, and
all programs on providing economic and financial assistance to Armenia
until it fully complies with international democratic standards and
its international commitments in the human rights area."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ARMENIA'S FOREIGN DEBT UP 20% TO $1.4 BLN YEAR-ON-YEAR
RIA Novosti
March 11, 2008
Russia
YEREVAN, March 11 (RIA Novosti) - Armenia's foreign debt stood at
$1.449 billion as of January 1, or up 20%, year-on-year, the country's
state statistics service said on Tuesday.
The debt owed by the government is $1.277 billion, while the Central
Bank of Armenia owes $167 million.
The South Caucasus country's debt to international financial
organizations stands at $1.203 billion, including $978 million owed
to the World Bank, $157 million to the International Monetary Fund,
$55 million to the International Fund for Agricultural Development
and $11 million to the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries.
Armenia's bilateral loans debt accounts for $245 million, including
$110 million owed to Germany, $90 million to Japan and $39 million
to the United States.
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RIA Novosti
March 11, 2008
Russia
YEREVAN, March 11 (RIA Novosti) - Armenia's foreign debt stood at
$1.449 billion as of January 1, or up 20%, year-on-year, the country's
state statistics service said on Tuesday.
The debt owed by the government is $1.277 billion, while the Central
Bank of Armenia owes $167 million.
The South Caucasus country's debt to international financial
organizations stands at $1.203 billion, including $978 million owed
to the World Bank, $157 million to the International Monetary Fund,
$55 million to the International Fund for Agricultural Development
and $11 million to the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries.
Armenia's bilateral loans debt accounts for $245 million, including
$110 million owed to Germany, $90 million to Japan and $39 million
to the United States.
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