The HRD of the RA wrote on her “Facebook” page: “In response to various requests, the Defender of Human Rights informs that it was worrying to see that CIVILNET, which has the reputation of a media outlet that applies high professional and ethical standards, spread the news in advance of the CIVILNET journalist’s interview with Samvel Babayan, the former commander of the Artsakh Defense Army. The video recording in which Mr. Babayan personally targeted the journalist Mr. Tatul Hakobyan, who expressed his opinion on historical facts, for his physical characteristics, and also targeted Mr. Hakobyan’s journalistic professional activities, voiced a call for violence against the latter.
It was encouraging to see that after hours, the media had technically edited the mentioned part of the video, which about 200 thousand users had watched until that moment. Still, unfortunately, the call for violence voiced by the guest on the air was repeated in the text of the explanatory publication made by the media. The media has not yet removed the calls for violence caused by users under the descriptive publication.
And although it is to be expected that military and political figures, journalists, and human rights defenders may use strong vocabulary during discussions on topical and painful historical issues, it is the duty of all of us to exclude calls for violence as a means of resolving issues while exercising our rights to freedom of speech and expression of professional opinion. On the other hand, journalists carrying out professional activities should benefit from maximum protection to provide sufficient conditions for their professional and human rights activities.
In turn, responsible media have a significant role in guaranteeing these rights.”
