The head of the “Media Advocate” initiative Sergey Chamanyan talked to media representatives in Artsakh to find out the details of the attack on journalists.
The representative of the Press Service of the Artsakh Republic Defense Army Suren Sarumyan is sure that the enemy deliberately shelled in the direction of journalists.
“All journalists had identification marks, press inscriptions on bulletproof vests and helmets, even on cars: there is the same inscription on the car tops. I am sure they saw, they knew and they shelled deliberately, because if one side organizes its actions with the help of lies- falsification of history, and lies that are being replicated at the moment, for them the enemy is, first of all, the one who tells the truth. We had the same experience even during the war in 2016, they simply expelled all the journalists from Azerbaijan, so here is a struggle between lies and justice. If one follows their materials, I assure that there is no righteous line, any righteous idea. And if you follow the tone of these materials, they also resort to bribes, caviar diplomacy, I do not mean journalists, but the so-called political scientists and analysts who frenziedly replicate the Azerbaijani position.”
Sergey Chamanyan- The Azerbaijani side accused the Artsakh side of the fact that the journalists were deliberately taken to the place where an artillery or missile bomb attack was expected. How would you comment on this?
Suren Sarumyan- This is another falsehood of Azerbaijani agitprop, as an artillery or missile strike is expected everywhere, throughout the territory, it is always expected․ I am firmly convinced that even if they say they are only hitting legitimate military targets, it is an absolute lie, any Armenian is an enemy, for them: any settlement, any locality, any monument, any symbol of our identity is a target for them. You know that they bombed the Shushi’s Ghazanchetsots Cathedral twice. This once again proves that there can be no question that the Armenian side deliberately led to the place where the shelling is expected, since shelling is expected everywhere.
Sergey Chamanyan- Coming back to the shelling of Shushi’s Ghazanchetsots Cathedral, I would like to ask if in this situation it is possible to consider that the first strike on the church was done to bait journalists, knowing that journalists always rush to the hot spot, so the second strike within an hour was directed again against journalists?
Suren Sarumyan- Such a viewpoint is quite possible, it has grounds, since the strike was on point, it is impossible to talk about some kind of blind hit of some kind of projectile, they shot with a guided munition, which means that they could have thought about this. The Church is not a military target.
Sergey Chamanyan- You probably have heard the nonsense that we have shelled our church, then they contradicted themselves noting that they were shelling the church in the hope of annihilating the Armenian, Artsakh military servicemen, who held prayer service before going to the line.
Suren Sarumyan- This is also a lie, because a couple of reservists were lighting candles there, and I don’t think that if there were not a couple of reservists, but, let’s say, 10-20 people, this would justify a blow to the church. You know that war has its own rules, written and unwritten, and if a person has self-respect, he must follow these rules. Even snipers during the First and Second World Wars had situations where they never shot at people, if people are in such kind of situation: this is the unwritten law of war, you cannot do that. For example, if wounded servicemen are being treated in a hospital, this doesn’t mean that you can hit the hospital. However, Azerbaijan hit one of the hospitals in the northern direction. By the way, according to my information, wounded Azerbaijani servicemen were also being treated there. There is already footage on the Internet of an Azerbaijani serviceman being treated in the Stepanakert hospital.
Sergey Chamanyan – In fact, they are trying to liquidate their own prisoners of war?
Suren Sarumyan – I can’t insist it, but I don’t exclude the possibility of it either, because any criminal junta, any criminal group is afraid of witnesses the most. So, mafia clans often also liquidate members of their own gangs, because they see and know a lot. Perhaps there is such motive in the actions of Azerbaijan, especially considering that they are being reasonably accused of attracting Syrian mercenaries by countries that have the best intelligence services in the world. The accusations refer to the fact that Azerbaijanis use mercenaries from Syria to fight against Artsakh. So, this intention cannot be ruled out.
Sergey Chamanyan – Coming back to the topic of mercenaries: for Syrian, in general, Turkoman terrorists, journalists are number one enemy, this has been repeatedly stated by the terrorists themselves. Can it be stated that the presence of these terrorists is one of those factors that make the Azerbaijani government consider journalists as enemies, and not only Armenian ones, and not only enemies, but also target at which they shoot?
Suren Sarumyan – You are absolutely right. As already noted, the main enemy of lies is the truth. Why do the terrorists claim that journalists are their number one target? Because the journalist will impartially record their atrocities, all the crimes they commit. I think, since the actions of the Azerbaijani army are criminal in their essence, there is a lot of evidence of this (such as the shelling of peaceful cities, the shooting of old people and helpless prisoners of war). They must follow the same humanitarian law, everything that makes such a terrible thing as war more or less humane. How can prisoners of war be shot without trial, there is the Geneva Convention, which they signed and are members of the Council of Europe, they must follow the same humanitarian legislation, follow everything that makes such a terrible thing as war more or less humane.
Sergey Chamanyan – How many journalists were injured in general, from September 27 October 15?
Suren Sarumyan – 5-6 people were seriously injured and received medical care in medical centers: Journalists from Le Monde, Yuri Kotenok, our Armenian journalists accompanying foreign journalists.
Sergey Chamanyan – How many journalists and staff members (cameramen, producers, etc.) of international publications are currently working in Artsakh?
Suren Sarumyan – I cannot give the exact number. You may contact our Foreign Ministry for these data, as they conduct the accreditation procedure.
The Foreign Ministry informed “Media Advocate” that is approved the participation of more than 50 news agencies.
The next interview of the series is coming soon.
