March 5, 2024, Yerevan

On March 5, 2024, during Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s visit to Vazgen Sargsyan’s grave at Yerablur Military Pantheon, journalists encountered impediments in their work. The State Protection Service personnel pushed the journalists and cameramen away, arguing that they lacked accreditation for event coverage. The journalists’ efforts to capture footage at least from a distance were harshly opposed by the representatives of security structures, who considered those areas as part of their service zone.

We, the undersigned journalistic organizations, highlight that this ban and the formal accreditation requirement are extraordinary and unacceptable, especially considering that the coverage involves a ceremony in Yerablur. We express our outrage and condemn this groundless restriction. The justifications provided by the security structures do not stand up to criticism, as the media were not notified in advance about the need for accreditation, and the process was not effectively organized.

Based on the above, we demand from the Government Staff:

• to provide a public explanation regarding the unjustified ban and guarantee that such practices will not recur in the future;
• when organizing any official event of public interest, which is subject to media coverage, create favorable conditions for journalists, eliminating any hindrances to their legitimate

COMMITTEE TO PROTECT FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION
YEREVAN PRESS CLUB
MEDIA INITIATIVES CENTER
MEDIA DIVERSITY INSTITUTE-ARMENIA
JOURNALISTS’ CLUB “ASPAREZ”
FREEDOM OF INFORMATION CENTER
PUBLIC JOURNALISM CLUB
“JOURNALISTS FOR THE FUTURE” NGO
“JOURNALISTS FOR HUMAN RIGHTS” NGO
GORIS PRESS CLUB