Tycoons vs newspaper

Citizens of Armenia and representatives of Diaspora gathered about $16 000 within the supporting campaign of the opposition daily newspaper Armenian Time. This sum was defined by the court decision as compensation to three deputies of the National Assembly in case of the scandalous process “Tycoons vs Aykakan Zhamanak newspaper.” The campaign lasted for two weeks and included transfer of sums to special accounts and through SMS. In several days money will be transferred to accounts of three tycoons.

Major businessmen-deputies Samvel Aleksanyan, Levon Sarkisyan and Ruben Ayrapetyan sued the newspaper and demanded 2 million dram of moral compensation to each and 500 thousand drams compensation for court costs. According to them, information published in the article “Seven out of eight are in list” Octover 14, 2010, is not true.

The article, which cited the chairman of the Armenian club of political research Minabanutyun (Unity) in Moscow, Sambat Karakhanyan, said that the law-enforcement agencies of Russia discuss the list of officials and deputies of Armenia, who appear in investigated criminal cases. Among eight officials these three deputies were named.

In November 2010 the General Prosecution of Russia spread official answer, which said that it had no information, which was published in the newspaper.

Sambat Karakhanyan expressed bewilderment to journalists: why didn't the tycoons demand his explanation, instead of turning to the court?  “If the court decides against the newspaper, it will be obvious the court fulfills political order… The General Prosecution doesn’t decide whether a person committed crime or not. Only court can do it. It is interesting that the Prosecution doesn’t state on crimes by these persons, it only said it has no information published by Armenian Time,” he said.

On February 7th the court partially fulfilled the complaint and ordered the newspaper’s owner to pay 2 million 44 thousand drams to each of suitors. According to the court decision, information in the article is not true. The court ordered to publish negation in one week after the verdict becoming effective.

The sued party refused to obey the order of the court of general jurisdiction. Then orders of the Court of Appeal, the Court of Review and other were. But the newspaper believes that all court decisions are political. At the moment it prepares sue to the European Court on Human Rights. The publisher wants to raise in the European court two questions: breaking of freedom of expression and fair court investigation. However, the court order had to be fulfilled. The newspaper addressed to readers for financial support.

Susanna Petrosyan, Yerevan. Exclusively to VK.