5th Channel TV owner Armen Tavadyan did not hide his views and personal connections with certain circles. It is obvious that the criminal case against him is an attempt of indirect pressure on the media. Satik Seyranyan, Chair of the Union of Journalists of Armenia, stated this during a meeting with journalists.
According to her, the processes around 5th Channel should be viewed against the background of recent developments around the country’s media. “Summing up all these cases, it can be concluded that there is a political context in them,” she said. “All these actions are directed against the work of the media.”
Seyranyan is confident that 2020 will become a year of serious challenges for Armenia’s media, and it is clear that once the authorities reach a situation in the judiciary that is acceptable to them, the media will become the next target. “The authorities are well aware of the importance of the media and social media, which, according to [PM Nikol] Pashinyan, played a key role during the revolution,” the head of the Union of Journalists of Armenia explained. “Today they see how the audience of the opposition media dominates over the media that are loyal to the policy of the authorities. That is why the authorities are labeling some media outlets. But I can say that the media [in Armenia] will not be able to be taken control of.”
On December 26, the Yerevan Court of General Jurisdiction granted the Special Investigation Service’s motion to arrest Armen Tavadyan, the owner of 5th Channel television.