Members of the “VETO” movement, including the founder Narek Malyan, who participated in the protest against the extension of the state of emergency, were detained by the police. Ani Hovhannisyan, editor-in-chief of Analitik.am news agency, was also detained. Many people, including human rights activists and public and political figures, gathered in front of the Artashat police station in support of the detainees. After some time, the police, without giving presenting any ground, forcibly detained the gathered people, including the editor-in-chief of Blognews website Konstantin Ter-Nakalyan, the head of Antifake.am news agency Narek Samsonyan. This is yet another case of pressure on the press.
“Media Advocate” initiative condemns such actions of the police. The fight for free speech should not be suppressed, and the state of emergency should not serve as a tool to suppress the freedom of speech.
