Expert: effectiveness of fight against corruption, first of all, is  determined by provision of information

ArmInfo.During the first quarter of 2023, no cases of physical violence against media representatives were recorded in Armenia. This was announced on April 21 at a press conference by Ashot Melikyan, Chairman of Committee to Protect Freedom of Expression (CPFE), presenting a report on the state of freedom of speech and violations of the rights of journalists in the first quarter of this year.

Ashot Melikyan presented both good and bad news, referring to the absence of physical violence against media representatives as good news.

According to the expert, this fact is a rare case. Apparently, this is due to the fact that in the first three months of this year, social and political life in the country was not tense. The experience of previous periods shows that with the aggravation of social and political life, the activities of journalists become more difficult, and they are subjected to pressure.  As for the bad news, as noted by the head of the Committee, it is associated with numerous cases of refusal to provide information and its dissemination. A total of 49 such cases were registered. From 2020 to this day, there have never been such cases in such numbers. This, Ashot Melikyan continued, means that the authorities either do not respond to media inquiries, or respond vaguely, while distorting the essence of the requests. Often, commercial and state secrets are cited as a reason for refusing to provide information.  Melikyan saw a direct connection of this fact with the growth of corruption. At the beginning of the year, the Transparency International anti-corruption organization recorded the deterioration of the corruption situation in Armenia. In terms of the perception of corruption, Armenia dropped from 58th place in the world ranking to 63rd place. Meanwhile, as the expert emphasized, the effectiveness of the fight against corruption, first of all, is determined by the provision of information.