On April 30, Davit Levonyan, a reporter for the Civic.am news website, was assaulted while in the National Assembly. The journalist reported that Artur Sukoyan, an assistant to MP Levon Kocharyan, approached him in the National Assembly yard and demanded an explanation about a recent social media post in which Levonyan linked Archbishop Bagrat to the KGB.

About the incident 

On April 30, Davit Levonyan, a reporter for the Civic.am news website, was assaulted while in the National Assembly. The journalist reported that Artur Sukoyan, an assistant to MP Levon Kocharyan, approached him in the National Assembly yard and demanded an explanation about a recent social media post in which Levonyan linked Archbishop Bagrat to the KGB. In the video, the journalist accused Archbishop Bagrat Galstyan, the leader of the Diocese of Tavush, of serving Russian interests.

Davit Levonyan explained that in the video, he expressed his opinion and right to free speech as a journalist. However, the conversation quickly escalated into a dispute. Levonyan reported that the deputy’s assistant punched him in the face and used abusive language, causing him to fall. As a result, the camera he was holding was damaged. The deputy’s assistant accused Levonyan of blasphemy.

 

Claims and statements

Following the incident, Civic.am issued a statement and urged law enforcement agencies to conduct an appropriate legal evaluation.

The civil movement “Tavush for the Motherland” issued a statement and appealed to the court, accusing Davit Levonyan of slander and insult.

According to their statement, even if a journalist’s YouTube content contained insults or defamation, legal methods exist to solve the issue, and the use of violence can never be justified. The statement urged MP Levon Kocharyan to release a statement, apologize to the journalist for the violence perpetrated, and evaluate the actions of his assistant. In addition, the recent cases that have hindered the legal activities of journalists were highlighted in their statements.

“It has become increasingly apparent that there has been a surge in attacks and various forms of pressure on journalists and cameramen who are simply carrying out their professional duties. This worrying trend is of particular concern, given the current social and political climate. What’s more concerning is that these acts of violence are often not punished or legally condemned, which only serves to encourage further incidents,” the statement said. 

Davit Levonyan is the fifth journalist in the last ten days to have their work obstructed. These incidents have occurred against the backdrop of increasing internal political tension as protests continue against the border delimitation process between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Violations of journalists’ rights have been documented both in Yerevan and in the Tavush region.  

HRD Anahit Manasyan also expressed her concern on this issue.The statement from HRD emphasizes the significance of safeguarding journalists’ professional rights and ensuring their effective work. Any act of violence or hindrance targeted towards journalists while carrying out their professional duties is unacceptable. “The competent authorities should conduct thorough discussions on any such cases that may indicate obstruction of the journalist’s professional activity.”