Epress.am News from Armenia
A number of Armenian media organizations issued a public statement Monday demanding that Mher Sedrakyan, a member of the country's ruling Republican Party, give up his parliamentary mandate. The authors claim that the lawmaker “showed extreme audacity” when dealing with reporters on February 19, the day of the extraordinary session of the National Assembly.
On that day, the statement reads, reporters in the NA corridor heard Sedrakyan call them a “herd.” Later, when confronted by the journalists with a demand to explain himself, the MP “tried to play innocent and then used profanities when addressing one of the reporters. However, Mher Sedrakyan did not just limit himself to this, trying to invite the reporter to a 'private conversation.'”
“We, the undersigned, express our resentment in connection with Mher Sedrakyan's disgusting behaviour and, given its recurrent nature, demand that:
– the leadership of the Republican Party discuss the matter of their fellow party member and hold [Sedrakyan] accountable for his actions by calling on him to voluntarily lay down his parliamentary mandate;
– the Speaker of the National Assembly, along with the Republican Party, publicly condemn the MP's conduct, apologize to all the reporters who were offended by his words, and make sure this does not happen again,” the statement says.
If the demands are not fulfilled, the petitioners say they'll have grounds to assert that conduct similar to that of Sedrakyan is the norm within the Republican Party and other parts of the Government: “And since the Armenian authorities are unable or unwilling to protect reporters from various threats, pressure, and harassment, we will be forced to turn to the international community, urging them to apply personal sanctions against people who periodically and deliberately violate the law but are not brought to justice in their own country.”
Signatory organisations:
Committee to Protect Freedom of Expression
Yerevan Press Club
Center for Media Initiatives
Journalists' Club "Asparez"
Public Journalism Club
Centre for Freedom Of Information
Institute of Comprehensive Information – Armenia
Journalists for the Future
Journalists for Human Rights
Goris Press Club