Attacks on the Press in 2010 - Committee to Protect Journalists

<strong>Attacks</strong> on the Press in 2010country summariesSummaries in this chapter were researched and written by NinaOgnianova, CPJ’s Europe and Central Asia program coordinator, alongwith CPJ Research Associate Muzaffar Suleymanov and freelance writerAlex Lupis.ArmeniaAs his government strengthened ties with Russia, President SerzhSargsyan had to quell lingering domestic discontent over electoralfraud and economic woes, particularly in the construction and miningindustries. New legislation granted regulators broad new powers to awardand revoke licenses, while putting severe limits on the number of provincialbroadcast licenses. Self-censorship remained widespread in the media,as lawlessness curbed the activities of journalists, human rights defenders,and opposition leaders.In August, Moscow and Yerevan signed an agreement extending to2044 Russia’s lease on a military base outside the northern city of Gyumri,according to international press reports. The agreement offered Armenianew security guarantees, while lifting restrictions on the movements ofRussian forces and fighter jets. The Sargsyan administration also agreed topay Moscow US$5 billion to build two nuclear reactors in Armenia, TheAssociated Press reported.At home, Sargsyan’s government faced a restive population battered bythe global recession and angered anew by electoral problems. A specialparliamentary election in Yerevan in January was marred by reports ofballot-stuffing and harassment of opposition supporters, according to internationalpress reports, a reminder of the irregularities that internationalobservers documented during the 2008 presidential vote. The administrationsought to control the news narrative by suppressing public protests,imprisoning opposition activists, and adopting restrictive regulations.The most drastic step occurred in June when parliament passed andthe president signed into law amendments to the Law on Television andRadio that tightened control of the country’s influential broadcast media,according to local and international press reports. The government triedto deflect attention from the restrictive amendments by embedding theminto a package of measures meant to move radio and television stationsfrom analog to digital signals. Sargsyan ignored domestic and internationalprotests over the restrictions, which are seen as benefiting his Republican184