YEREVAN. – The Armenian President’s Press Secretary, Arman Saghatelyan, condemned the recent hindering of the work of journalists. Below is an abridged excerpt from Armenian News-NEWS.am’s interview with him.

“Mr. Saghatelyan, when the relatives of a military serviceman, who was killed in a military unit, were attempting to transfer his body to the capital city [Yerevan] as a sign of protest, on May 18 on the Sevan-Yerevan motorway, the work of the journalists was hampered. How do you assess this?

I definitely assess it negatively; I condemn [it]. Upon the instruction of the President, I contacted with the heads of [several] television companies and other media on the same day, [and] expressed our assistance and support. The proper study of what happened is at the focus of our attention. 

We are confident that the competent authorities will find out all the circumstances of what happened. It is time for the officials to review their conduct once and for all and to understand the imperative of a practice that is in line with the level of our country’s democratic development.”   

To note, when the relatives of the military serviceman were attempting to transfer his body to Yerevan, Defense Ministry servicemen and Police officers had blocked their way. There was an ensuing altercation between the two parties. In addition, the members of the law enforcement agencies had hindered the work of the journalists, who were covering this incident, by taking away their cameras and flashcards.        

Photo by Arsen Sargsyan/NEWS.am