The previous issue of YPC Weekly Newsletter (October
6-12, 2006) published a piece, “Head of ’MIG’ Denies Pressure on TV Company”,
telling about the failure of “MIG” TV company of Vanadzor to air the interview
of the Chairman of “Orinats Yerkir” party, the former Parliament Speaker Artur
Baghdasarian. The piece presented the stances of both “Orinats Yerkir” party
and the head of “MIG” TV Company Samvel Harutiunian. In the opinion of “Orinats
Yerkir”, the refusal of “MIG” to air the interview was due to the pressure exerted
on the TV company. Samvel Harutiunian, on his behalf, told YPC that no pressure
had been exerted on the TV company by the regional administration, and his decision
to take the interview off the air had a number of reasons. The YPC Newsletter
quoted these reasons, and gave an explanation to one of them. This concerns
Article 79 of “Regulations of the National Commission on Television and Radio”
to which Samvel Harutiunian referred.
The head of “MIG” promised to provide the record of the interview to YPC. However,
this was never done. Samvel Harutiunian explained his refusal to provide the
interview, saying he did not see the need in our support. We shall not comment
on the refusal. We would only like to note that the wish of YPC to see the interview
was due not to the need to support anyone (nobody addressed us with such a request)
but purely to the intention to understand for ourselves and to help the public
to understand a conflict, related to freedom of expression in Armenia.
