Armenian authorities attempting to silence journalists 'by all means', editor says

Veteran journalist Armine Ohanyan, the editor-in-chief of Hraparak daily, has accused the Armenian leadership of intensifying pressure on the media, saying the authorities are attempting to silence journalists and restrict their work “by all means”.

Speaking at a press conference, Ohanyan, who has practiced journalism for more than three decades, said that while successive governments have exerted pressure on the press, the current administration has taken it to new extremes. “In 2018, I could not imagine that people who came from civil society and the media would impose such harsh restrictions on journalists,” she said.

“After 2018, numerous developments concerning the media demonstrated that those in power have no respect for journalism,” Ohanyan stated. “They are trying by every means to silence us, to constrain us and to ensure that our ability to work is more limited than it has ever been.”

The journalist pointed to legal actions taken against Hraparak, noting that while the paper has faced many lawsuits over the past years and has prevailed in most cases, the situation has shifted.

“We are used to court cases,” she said. “But now the country’s leadership itself has filed a lawsuit against the newspaper.”

Addressing recurring questions from government officials about the funding of media outlets, Ohanyan defended the transparency and integrity of her organization’s finances.

“All media outlets are responsible taxpayers,” she said, adding that she has publicly shared tax reports to demonstrate the newspaper’s contributions. She also noted that advertising on the outlet’s platforms is openly displayed and can be independently assessed.

Ohanyan accused the Armenian leadership of attempting to discredit and devalue the media sector through unfounded allegations.

“The goal is to undermine the credibility of the media,” she said. “There is no basis for the accusations being made.”

She added that financial gain is not the driving force behind her work.

"If we were chasing big money, we would simply write the opposite of what we do now," Ohanyan added.