Journalists were also injured as a result of police actions during Monday’s disobedience actions by Resistance Movement, the head of the Police Patrol Guard Service obstructed the work of the journalist and cameraman of Mediahub.am news website, and even hit the cameraman. Armenian News-NEWS.am talked to those journalists.
Yerkir.am journalist Lia Sargsyan, who lost consciousness during a scuffle, told Armenian News-NEWS.am that the march had reached the Abovyan-Sayat Nova intersection when the police came and started “operating” without informing the protesters.
"Several buses of police immediately came and without announcing that they were launching an operation, formed a [human] wall, and started pushing the citizens blocking the road.
During the scuffle, I found myself between the police and the citizens. I was wearing a journalistic badge and I had a microphone in my hand. Moreover, they had noticed me. It’s just curious why they did not inform in advance about the operation, so that the journalist could position herself. As a result of the incident, I found myself on the ground. I fainted, my hands were stepped on," she said.
Lia Sargsyan added that the claim that the police do not recognize a journalist who wears a badge and has a work tool is unacceptable.
In a conversation with Armenian News-NEWS.am, Nare Gnuni, a reporter of Mediahub.am news website, spoke about the actions by the head of the Patrol Guard Service (PGS) Sargis Hovhannisyan against their film crew. She said that they had been doing their job at the Baghramyan-Proshyan intersection since the morning, covering the actions when the citizens were closing off the streets.
"There was a scuffle, the police were apprehending the citizens by using disproportionate force. When we noticed that a citizen was being dragged to the ground, an ambulance was coming to help, and the head of the PGS was calmly watching, we decided to approach to find out what he was doing at that time there, and his opinion on what was happening," she said.
When Nare Gnuni approached, he tried to say hello, to which the head of the PGS responded, "Can't you see I'm talking on the phone," after which the journalist tried to leave, but Sargis Hovhannisyan hit the microphone at that moment.
"The cameraman had just kept the shot on him. His assistant approaches the camera, tries to push it aside with a thud. When we continue to record, as we have full authority to carry out our activities, the assistant approaches, hits our cameraman. When I try to approach the head of the PGS for the second time and ask if the actions of his assistant are justified, he says, ‘We are doing well, I'm talking on the phone, you approach me to ask a question.’ The citizens, noticing that we were in a scuffle, approached to protect us, told the head of the PGS, ‘You have a position, you should not speak loudly to journalists and citizens.’ He said, ‘I’m doing well,’ and tried to swear, but did not continue. Disproportionate force was used against the citizens, there are footage of it," said Nare Gnuni.
During today's civil disobedience actions, the police obstructed also the work of the journalists of the AntiFake.am news site, and hit one of them. AntiFake.am journalist Ishkhan Khosrovyan told details about today's actions.
"The police were obstructing the work of journalists, they were dragging. The masked policemen pushed and punched our other journalist, Davit. I was with a [journalist’s] badge, they saw that I was a journalist, but they hindered my work activities, dragged me, blocked in front of me, did not allow [me] to pass, to take videos," he said.
Ishkhan Khosrovyan also said that he did not know whether or not an internal investigation had been launched into the obstruction of their work.
"I do not particularly hope that the police will process this case," he said.
