CJTeam, Yerevan, 03 Sep 2009 – “Armenian Media under Attack” is a photo documentary with portraits of journalists being attacked once or several times in Armenia with their pictures made just after violent attacks. Cases of violence against journalists happen more and more often in Armenia.
Only within the last 5 years more that 10 journalists have been attacked and beaten, half of them last year in 2008.
Most of the cases are still undiscovered and those who have committed violence are not yet punished. This has become one of the shortest and easiest ways to “solve problems”, to make journalists keep silence. They are tortured both psychologically and physically for their critical reports, oppositional articles, professional work, and their right to speak freely. The violence against journalists has been strongly condemned by the country’s Ombudsman and leading media watchdogs.
No journalist is insured in Armenia from being attacked and violated for his or her right to speak freely. It is a kind of visual photo-report about violence against journalists in Armenia over recent years and it should be continued in other Caucasus countries too.
P.S. All the journalists presented here keep on writing; none of them has left journalism after being attacked.
Hasmik Smbatyan, author of the photos, has graduated from Photojournalism Department of Caucasus Institut. This photo story is her final project. Now she works as a radio journalist for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFL/RL) in Armenia.
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