(RSF/IFEX) – RSF has urged Armenia’s electoral authorities to ensure that the 5 March 2003 presidential election run-off is not marred by incidents similar to those that took place in the first round, on 19 February, when several journalists were the targets of violence and obstruction. “We ask you to do everything possible to ensure […]
(RSF/IFEX) – RSF has urged Armenia’s electoral authorities to ensure that the 5 March 2003 presidential election run-off is not marred by incidents similar to those that took place in the first round, on 19 February, when several journalists were the targets of violence and obstruction.
“We ask you to do everything possible to ensure that such incidents are not repeated in the second round on 5 March,” RSF Secretary-General Robert Ménard said in a letter to Electoral Commission President Artak Sahradian. “We note that while the media must adhere to strict rules in order to avoid favouring a particular candidate during the election, the authorities, for their part, must ensure that journalists are free to cover the polling,” Ménard added.
On 19 February, Goar Vernizian, a correspondent for the weekly “Aizhm”, which is published by the Democratic National Union Party, was thrown against a wall at the Shirvanzade School polling station by unidentified individuals as she was covering violations of the electoral rules. Her assailants also seized the audio cassette on which she was recording. Two journalists with the television station Shant were also struck and their videotapes were taken away as they filmed a man stuffing ballots into a ballot-box in the same polling station.
That same day in Yerevan, a member of the Parliamentary Commission of Polling Station No. 356/16, in Nar-Dos School, seized freelance journalist Susanna Pogosian’s camera and injured her hand as she was accompanying Gedeon Lichtfield of the British weekly “The Economist”.
Lilit Vardanian, the person in charge of Electoral Commission No. 26/073 in Echmiadzin (20 kilometres from Yerevan), refused to allow Karina Asatrian, a reporter with the independent television station A1+, and her cameraman Robert Kharazian to film. The two journalists were then physically attacked by young men who damaged their camera and chased them out of the polling station.
Diana Markosian, another A1+ television correspondent, was set upon by Ararat Rshtubi, president of the electoral commission at Polling Station No. 0391/17, in Yerevan. Two policemen then helped Rshtubi eject Markosian.
