Antifake editor: Armenia ranks third among 46 CoE member states in  number of arrested journalists

ArmInfo. Armenia is currently demonstrating serious regression in media freedom: the country ranks third among 46 Council of Europe member states in the number of arrested journalists. Astghik Matevosyan, editor of the online publication Antifake, made this statement during a press  conference in Yerevan in response to the reaction of the Council of  Europe platform for the protection of journalism and  safety of  journalists.

As ArmInfo previously reported, the platform has responded to the  arrest of Vazgen Saghatelyan and Narek Samsonyan, hosts of the  Imnemnimi podcast, as well as the seizure of Antifake's property and  the temporary detention of its employees. Specifically, the Council  of Europe Platform for the Protection of Journalism and  Safety of  Journalists expects the Armenian authorities to clarify the legal  basis for the hooliganism charges and any alleged "threats" involved  in the case; review the legality and necessity of Saghatelyan and  Samsonyan's detention with a view to ensuring their release in  accordance with the ECHR; explain the seizure of Antifake.am's  journalistic equipment and return it; and provide information on the  progress of the criminal proceedings and the conditions of detention.

As noted by the website editor, the first-level warning issued by the  CoE platform is a serious signal, reserved for cases where there are  threats to the health and life of a journalist or the existence of a  media outlet as a whole. "For example, such warnings are issued  when  journalists have been murdered, they or their relatives have been  victims of physical violence, or when media outlets are at risk of  closure," Matevosyan explained. The website editor also pointed out  that from 2015 to 2025, the Council of Europe platform responded to  the situation in Armenia 23 times, with 19 incidents registered under  the current government. "Out of  the 23 statements, only five were  first-level warnings, and only one case-that of the hosts of  Imnemnimi-resulted in an arrest," the website editor noted.

The remaining cases, as Matevosyan noted, involved threats to close  media outlets, risks of physical violence, and other similar issues.  She stated that this indicates that in the eyes of the international  community, Armenia is straying from democratic principles.  "Currently, the Council of Europe platform awaits a response from the  Armenian authorities. However, the very fact that this structure has  taken such a position demonstrates that processes are indeed underway  in Armenia regarding freedom of speech that require clarification  from the authorities," Matevosyan noted.

As a reminder, Vazgen Saghatelyan and Narek Samsonyan were detained on November 13 in Yerevan. They were then remanded in custody for two months by court order. On the same day, AntiFake.am's office was searched, and all equipment was seized. The website's operations have not been fully restored due to the fact that security forces have still not returned their confiscated property. The bloggers were detained following a complaint from Armenian Parliament Speaker Alen Simonyan for using obscene language against themselves.

It should be noted that, given the Council of Europe's response to the state of freedom of speech in Armenia, the announcement by EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas about providing the country's authorities with €15 million to counter external hybrid threats is alarming. Given the negative backdrop of severe government pressure on uncontrolled media, these funds could be used to combat the opposition press and its representatives under the pretext of combating "foreign information interference."