Armenia improves press freedom rank by 19 notches: RSFApril 18, 2019 - 10:38 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Armenia has significantly improved the state of press freedom in the past year, media watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) says. After the “velvet revolution," the country has jumped 19 places to 61st among 180 countries in the world rankings in 2019, RSF's annual World Press Freedom Index revealed on Thursday, April 18. The “velvet revolution” has loosened the government’s grip on TV channels, the report says. In April-May 2018, tens of thousands of Armenians took to the streets to demand the resignation of former authorities. In the wake of the civil disobedience campaign, then Prime Minister and ex-President Serzh Sargsyan resigned, while opposition leader Nikol Pashinyan was ultimately elected the country’s new PM. “The new media served as an echo chamber for the “velvet revolution” in the spring of 2018 that brought a former journalist to power. The media landscape is diverse but polarized and the editorial policies of the main TV channels coincide with the interests of their owners. In other words, journalistic independence and transparent media ownership continue to be major challenges,” RSF maintains. “The new government must try to recover the opportunities that were lost in the transition to digital TV, which has paradoxically restricted the number of regional channels. Investigative journalism, which is flourishing online, is well placed to play a major role in a national offensive against corruption.” Neighboring Azerbaijan, meanwhile, has plunged three notches to take the 166th spot, while Georgie comes in the 60th. Related links: Top stories The number of state universities will be reduced from 23 to 8 by 2030, Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport Zhanna Andreasyan has said. From September 21 to November 11, a total of 2,820 Russians registered at a place of residence in Armenia, the police has said. The situation on the contact line between Karabakh and Azerbaijan was relatively stable overnight, the Defense Army says. Defense Minister Suren Papikyan has visited the southern Armenian province of Syunik, the Defense Ministry reported on March 18. Partner news | Titus, Bilirakis lead legislation to sanction Azerbaijani war criminals Representatives Dina Titus (D-NV) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) have introduced the bipartisan legislation. Azerbaijan must respect human rights, Scholz tells Aliyev German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has called for greater respect for human rights in Azerbaijan. Scholz hopes Armenia-Azerbaijan peace treaty will be signed this year German Chancellor Olaf Scholz hopes that a peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan will be signed this year. Ucom equips four bus stops in Ijevan with free Wi-Fi Ucom now provides free Wi-Fi coverage in smart bus stops in four communities of Ijevan. |