Armenia: safety of journalists must be ensured at all times
OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Dunja Mijatoviฤ, today said journalistsโ safety must be ensured at all times, following recent incidents and coercive actions by police against journalists covering public protest in Yerevan, Armenia
Link: OSCE
โMedia has the right to cover public events and journalists must be able to report in a free and safe manner, without fear of harassment and intimidation,โ Mijatoviฤ said.
On 23 June journalists from various media outlets, including Radio Azatutyun (RFE/RL), Hetq.am, Gala TV, Haykakan Zhamanak, News.am, PanArmenian.net, Epress.am, 1in.am, and ArmTimes.com, were reportedly physically attacked, mistreated, verbally assaulted and detained by police while covering a public demonstration in Yerevan. Some journalists also had their equipment damaged or seized.
โI call on the authorities to promptly investigate these incidents and take steps to ensure restraint on the part of law enforcement representatives toward members of the media,โ Mijatoviฤ said.
Mijatoviฤ is in Bonn participating in the Deutsche Welle Global Media Forum.
