{"id":8413,"date":"2017-07-13T01:40:30","date_gmt":"2017-07-13T01:40:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/media.am\/media-battle-v-corruption-is-the-army-the-mirror-of-society\/"},"modified":"2017-07-13T01:40:30","modified_gmt":"2017-07-13T01:40:30","slug":"media-battle-v-corruption-is-the-army-the-mirror-of-society","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/media.am\/en\/critique\/2017\/07\/13\/8413\/","title":{"rendered":"Media Battle v. Corruption: Is the Army the Mirror of Society?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Mediamart<\/em> (Media Battle) is a digital game developed by the Media Initiatives Center [also responsible for this site] for journalism enthusiasts. Independent Armenia\u2019s media already has more than a quarter of a century of history, but media coverage of corruption (the fight against corruption) is more like a game \u2014 at least in terms of effectiveness. <\/p>\n

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5. Is the army the mirror of society?<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

For a long time, the Armenian government explained the country\u2019s difficulties with the large costs required for the army and for security, and a significant part of the public hoped that the situation of that sector was relatively good.<\/p>\n

Former defense minister Seyran Ohanyan\u2019s statement<\/a> likely contributed to the shaping of this view: he forbid his subordinates to use the expression \u201cthe army is society\u2019s mirror,\u201d \u201csince, I believe, that with that we justify those incidents that occasionally happen in the army.\u201d<\/p>\n

Moreover, he rejected the argument that \u201csuch incidents happen in all armies.\u201d According to him, \u201cwe are at the finish line of reaching the final development or perfecting of a national army.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nevertheless, it was during Ohanyan\u2019s term in office, in 2012, when Hetq.am revealed that soldiers noticed a buffalo meat label on the product served to them as beef, but the media scandal was strange in its development.<\/p>\n

The initial reaction of state bodies wasn\u2019t evasive as usual.<\/p>\n

One of the reasons probably was Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan\u2019s speech in September of the same year, when he spoke of \u201ckickbacks\u201d and demanded \u201cto catch them by the head, the big guys.\u201d<\/p>\n

Perhaps the fact that the video disseminated by the president\u2019s press service<\/a> had an unprecedented over 55,000 views on YouTube speaks to the public\u2019s optimistic expectations. It\u2019s true that the local media often viewed this sudden severity as the launch of the February 2013 presidential election campaign.<\/p>\n

In March 2013, the Prosecutor General\u2019s Office of the Republic of Armenia issued a statement<\/a> that the director of A. Ohanjanyan LLC, the buffalo meat supplier, was detained in 2012, while \u201con February 21, 2013, and February 22, 2013, arrested and then detained were, respectively, the commander of N military unit (Lieutenant Colonel by title) and his deputy in logistics (Major by title). At the same time, as part of the same criminal case, the head of the storehouse of the same military unit was charged and a signed release not to leave the country chosen as a preventative measure.\u201d<\/p>\n

Former Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan\u2019s name was touched upon in the media, but he attributed the accusation of linking his name with \u201cIndian meat importers\u201d to \u201cwell-known political forces\u201d who were trying to defame him (Hraparak<\/em>, \u201cNew faces behind the buffalo meat<\/a>,\u201d October 4, 2012. Most likely, Tigran Sargsyan was alluding to opposition political parties that were fighting against him, so that then parliamentary speaker Hovik Abrahamyan would take the prime minister\u2019s seat).<\/p>\n

In May 2013, Albert Ohanjanyan was released from prison, the decision explained by his serious health condition and by the restoring of the harm caused to the state. In light of recent circumstances, the two officers \u201cpreventative measure\u201d was also changed.<\/p>\n

On this occasion, Haykakan Zhamanak<\/em> (Armenian Times) voiced a widespread view: \u201cRevelations of state money theft happen only when \u2018the top\u2019 doesn\u2019t get anywhere or, more accurately, is paid less\u201d (\u201cGive the Money, \u2018Kickback\u2019 As Much As You Want<\/a>,\u201d May 22, 2013).<\/p>\n

Vahe Sarukhanyan\u2019s reports, which were regularly published at Hetq.am<\/a>, drew a picture of a different crime being concealed. \u201cThe defense army gets a lot of food stuffs, including meat, from the Ministry of Defense Yerevan\u2019s food storehouse. In other words, defense army soldiers are only recipients, yet it is they who are accused of criminal charges today.\u201d<\/p>\n

The validity of this observation was later confirmed by the rebellion of one of the soldiers, which the media practically didn\u2019t react to. Of the accused, Major Arto Chitchyan claimed he was innocent, even at the cost of refusing amnesty. <\/p>\n

According to Lragir<\/em> (\u201cBuffalo Meat Case May Reach European Court [of Human Rights],\u201d September 8, 2014), he \u201cas well as witnesses in court testified that they saw the contract between the Armenian defense ministry and Albert Ohanjanyan LLC only on February 13, 2013. Moreover, the military unit did not receive goods from the supplier; it received them from the defense army\u2019s food service and accepted the goods according to the invoice.\u201d<\/p>\n

How the major later acted the media didn\u2019t report. There is only one item, the Armenian Renaissance party\u2019s statement<\/a>, that contains a ridiculous and bizarre call: <\/p>\n

\u201cTo the political authorities of the Republic of Armenia:<\/p>\n