In the end of 2012, the Second President of Armenia Robert Kocharian and his son Sedrak Kocharian brought a lawsuit at the Court of General Jurisdiction of Kentron and Nork-Marash Administrative Districts of Yerevan against the founder of the news portal www.1in.am, “First Analytical” LLC, and the founder and publisher of “Zhamanak” daily, “Skizb Media Kentron” LLC. As it is reported on DataLex judiciary portal, the lawsuit was submitted on December 27, 2012, but was returned, since the lawyer only and not the plaintiffs had signed it. On January 15, 2013, the suit was re-submitted and taken into consideration. DataLex also presented the claims of the plaintiffs: refutation of information discrediting the honor and dignity, compensation of damage of 5 mln AMD (about $ 12,200). DataLex noted that on January 15, 2013, the court partially upheld the motion of the plaintiffs on banning the respondents’ property, as a measure to secure the suit. According to DataLex, the preliminary hearings are assigned on March 7.
For clarifications, YPC referred to Arman Babajanian, head of www.1in.am and “Zhamanak” newspaper. According to the Chief Editor, he learnt about the lawsuit pending against the media he runs only on February 7, when the representatives of the RA Service of Compulsory Execution of Judicial Acts arrived at the editorial office for putting a ban on the property. As Arman Babajanian noted, the two media use the property that he, as a private entity, has passed to them under non-repayable terms. Arman Babajanian said that he had presented the respective certifying documents to the compulsory executors. At the same time, Arman Babajanian stressed that the editorial office has not received a copy of the lawsuit and is not aware of the exact matter of the dispute. Moreover, Arman Babajanian mentioned that the plaintiffs have requested neither www.1in.am, nor “Zhamanak” a refutation or a reply.
