We call for an end to the propaganda unleashed by the authorities and not to waste state public funds and not to use them to serve the goals and agenda adopted by the RA authorities to spread hatred, misinformation and enmity

In the juxtaposition of the tragic events that have taken place and are still going on in Artsakh, hundreds of casualties and wounded, forced displacement of civilians, ethnic cleansing, increasing uncertainty and anxiety among the society every hour, the biggest damage to Artsakh and Armenia, to the Armenian society, is unfortunately caused by the Public TV Company, financed by expenses of the RA taxpayers and the state budget, with its management staff, but first of all, with the people responsible for the news service and Petros Ghazaryan, who plays the role of Nikol Pashinyan’s propaganda, as well as with the army of propagandists-experts.

The goal is obvious: to look for the guilty, mislead the public and reduce the responsibility of the RA government.

The most recent example was the interview with Samvel Babayan, the former commander of the Artsakh Armed Forces, during which the latter, in this emotionally overstressed, tragic situation, when thousands of Artsakh Armenians are trying to cross the days-long road from Artsakh to Armenia in inhuman conditions at the cost of their lives, trying to save themselves from the genocide, he is one-sided, with false claims, cheesy ways to manipulate reality, targets and names specific persons, makes accusations that require justification and evidence against the authorities of Artsakh, which for objective reasons cannot answer him today, because, unlike Samvel Babayan, who left Artsakh quickly and safely, leaving thousands of Artsakh residents there, they are in Artsakh and are trying to get the people out.

The discriminatory language targeting the Artsakh Armenians used by the media supporting the political line of the ruling “Civil Contract” party covering the protest actions, demonstrations and rallies demanding the resignation of Nikol Pashinyan in Yerevan was no accident either. The same vocabulary was used in the official reports of the RA Investigative Committee. The mentioned media published news emphasizing the Artsakh origin of the protesters, targeting and naming them.

In this context, the spread and instilling of hatred in the public from the programmes of the Public Television Company against the current authorities of Artsakh, as well as all the former authorities of the Republic of Armenia, is very disturbing. The current authorities of Armenia, who for 5 years have divided the society into black and white, current and former, spread hatred and enmity against each other, spreading vulgar vocabulary and misinformation, today they do the same towards the people of Artsakh and the authorities of Artsakh, the former authorities of Armenia, public and political figures.

The problem in this case is neither the person of Samvel Babayan nor his anti-state activities (human memory cannot forget the brutalities that Samvel Babayan was engaged in in Artsakh after the first Karabakh war, and the press archives preserve documentaries about his atrocities and their victims), but the thing , that the Public TV Company of Armenia is spreading false, one-sided accusations, hostile theses and manipulations on their programmes.

Azerbaijani media and Telegram channels have been diligently spreading excerpts of Samvel Babayan’s interview with the Public TV Company since yesterday, which once again proves that the Public TV, in this case, in the person of Samvel Babayan, contributes to the spread of Azerbaijani theses.

The Union of Journalists of Armenia strongly condemns this way of working of the Public TV Company, demands the National Commission of Television and Radio, other competent state structures to take steps to immediately prevent the unprofessional, anti-Armenian policy of misinforming the public at the expense of taxpayers and the state.

We call for an end to the propaganda unleashed by the authorities and not to waste state public funds and not to use them to serve the goals and agenda adopted by the RA authorities to spread hatred, misinformation and enmity, discredit political rivals, put their responsibility on other people and serve the goals and agenda of the enemy state.

We invite the attention of the media, local and international organizations dealing with the issues of freedom of speech, press, and active public figures, calling to express a position regarding this obvious attempt of using public funds to serve the governmental and hostile propaganda.

Union of Journalists of Armenia

The statement was joined by:

1. Satik Seyranyan – President of the Union of Journalists of Armenia, editor-in-chief of 168 Zham newspaper and 168.am website

2 .Bagrat Yesayan – Director of Yerkir Media TV Company

3. Arkady Grigoryan – editor-in-chief of Tert.am website

4. Sona Truzyan – Head of Pastinfo news portal

5. Gevorg Emin-Teryan -chief editor of Oragir.news news site

6. Angela Nalbandyan – deputy director of PARA TV

7. Piruza Meliksetyan – editor-in-chief of Irates newspaper

8. Paylak Fahradyan – editor of Irakanum.am website

9. Zhanna Tsarukyan- editor-in-chief of LIVEnews.am,

10. Angela Tovmasyan – editor-in-chief of Hayeli club