UJA condemns MP`s verbal attack on journalist 

ArmInfo.The Union of Journalists of Armenia (UJA) strongly condemns the outrageous  behavior of Khachatur Sukiasyan, a member of the country's parliament from the dominant Civil Contract faction, towards a journalist.

The statement of the UJA recalls that on April 16, during briefings  in parliament, a member of the ruling "Civil Contract" party in the  National Assembly Khachatur Sukiasyan made a number of insulting  statements addressed to the journalist of the newspaper "Aravot"  Hripsime Dzhebejyan, directed against the woman, her parents,  relatives and the editor-in-chief of the media which she represented.  To the questions that Jebejyan, as a journalist conveying public  sentiment, addressed to the deputy, Sukiasyan responded with  rudeness, in a clearly aggressive and threatening tone.

"This happened in the country's parliament, under a government that  has declared itself a "bastion of democracy" and is constantly  talking about human rights, passing laws that supposedly protect  women's rights and prevent violence against them. However, in the  same parliament, a deputy from the ruling force insults a journalist,  and not a single former social activist, now a deputy involved in  "protecting women's rights," reacts to this in any way.

The repressions that have become widespread in Armenia in recent  years, and have recently become even more severe, indicate the  degeneration of political power. All this is happening, at least,  with the tacit approval, and perhaps even with the support of the  highest authority, Nikol Pashinyan. And the underlying reason for the  authorities' aggressiveness towards journalists is that the press,  for all its problems, remains the only viable system of  counterbalance to the authorities.

The Union of Journalists of Armenia strongly condemns the behavior of  MP Khachatur Sukiasyan towards the journalist and demands that the  relevant authorities investigate the incident with appropriate  consequences. In addition, the UJA calls on the embassies operating  in Armenia, international organizations involved in the protection of  human rights and freedom of speech, to adequately respond to what  happened and, for the sake of opportunistic purposes, not to turn a  blind eye to the violence committed by the government against the  press, freedom of speech and free expression in Armenia," - the  statement says.

After the SJA, a number of journalistic NGOs issued a joint  statement, condemning Sukiasyan's similar behavior.

Thus, in a statement received by ArmInfo from the Committee for the  Protection of Freedom of Speech, the Yerevan Press Club, the Center  for Media Initiatives, the Freedom of Information Center of the  Institute of Multilateral Information - Armenia, the Club of Public  Journalism, the NGO "Journalists for the Future", the NGO  "Journalists for Rights" person" and the Goris Press Club note that  this incident is another evidence of the serious problems that exist  in relations between officials and journalists, in this case,  deputies of the National Assembly and journalists.

"We are confident that the current situation can only tend to improve  if these problems are provided with fundamental public assessments.  Considering the above, we, the undersigned organizations, demand that  MP Khachatur Sukiasyan apologize to journalist Hripsima Dzhebejyan  and the daily newspaper "Aravot." Regarding funding this edition by  the National Security Agency, then the deputy is free to submit the  relevant evidence to the relevant authorities if he has information  about the actions of any government agency not provided for by his  powers.

We also demand that the leadership of the National Assembly take  effective measures to relieve the existing tension between deputies  and journalists, create an atmosphere of mutual respect, and also  facilitate the formation and regular work of the Parliamentary Ethics  Committee," the organizations said in a statement.