The news service of the Public Television did not present the two statements of the Human Rights Defender during its main newscast of January 20. Arman Tatoyan noted that the approach of the Armenian government, according to which the number of Armenian prisoners held in Azerbaijan is not published, is unacceptable, as the issue is of “super-sensitive character.” The publication of the number of Armenian war prisoners held in Azerbaijan will provide an opportunity to significantly increase international pressure on Azerbaijan. The Human Rights Defender also issued a statement regarding the security of Armenia’s state borders, noting that the process of determining or clarifying Armenia’s borders with Azerbaijan is accompanied by gross violations of the rule of law and the law on human rights.
The newspaper did not present the concerns of the public health specialists in relation to the decision of the Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan issued on December 30, 2020, the appendix of which envisages the abolition of the existing VAT (Value-Added Tax) privileges for medical services. The goal is to supplement the state budget tax revenues. Experts claim that the decision will cause many problems. The media outlet did not present the court decision in favor of Yuri Khachaturov. Political scientist Stepan Grigoryan must deny the statements made on TV in regard to Yuri Khachaturov during a month and pay 304 thousand drams. The news outlet did not present the condition of the roads, the mayor’s office reported that 300 employees had cleaned the roads all night, while the citizens had published videos of the deplorable condition of the roads, there was no shortage of accidents.
“Media Advocate” initiative states that the publicly funded TV company is obliged to present the Ombudsman’s statements, in addition to the topics of public interest. The media outlet regularly tries to bypass the problematic topics, in fact unilaterally presenting the events taking place in the country.
