Newspaper editors in Armenia’s second largest city, Gyumri, have balked at carrying information in their newspapers that may appear critical of Mayor Vardan Ghukasyan. Ghukasyan stands for re-election in the October 26 vote.

Shrjapat (print run 3,000) and Hingshabti (print run 3,000) newspapers refused a free, full-color supplement on local elections produced by native journalists as part of a USAID-contracted program aimed at helping increase regional newspaper sales.

Shrjapat had a pre-existing agreement with International Research and Exchanges Board (IREX) – implementers of the media-strengthening program – and had carried previous editions of the publication, called “This Month”. Two previous issues had dealt with politics in Yerevan and in the provinces.

The 8-page supplement was distributed without any problems by Aravot daily, which has sales of about 3,000, mostly in Yerevan.

The supplement focuses on the general electoral process in Armenia and raises concerns that elections have become a battle between clans. But editors of the Gyumri newspapers say it would be unwise for them to publish the articles because they point fingers at the city administration.

Shrjapat weekly has distributed IREX supplements without any obstruction for a year, prior to its refusal last week.

“Had we been given this supplement before the election campaign or after the election we would have distributed it without any problems, however now it is inappropriate, because (one article) contains elements of black PR and we do not want to have problems because of this,” says Shrjapat director Syuzi Mekhakyan.

Mekhakyan claims that her paper has been critical of Ghukasyan in the past, adding that now – facing an election – would not be an appropriate time for such articles.

Reporters and editors of “This Month” say that their publication (click here for a PDF version) meets standards of accurate, balanced journalism and that Mekhakyan’s accusations of “black PR” are an excuse that evades the real concern over possible retribution from officials or loss of advertising revenue.

The main contention is over an article that recounts Ghuksayan’s family having been involved in public and documented crimes, including one shooting death.

The supplement’s editor-in-chief, IREX consultant Leah Kohlenberg, says she sees no fundamental reason for not distributing the paper. (In fact copies are being distributed by hand in Gyumri, in Artik and Spitak.)


“First, the story was not primarily about the mayor. It was an analysis looking at when and why there is election violence,” says Kohlenberg. “It is a fact that the Gyumri mayor and/or members of his family have been connected to murder in the past year and a half. We can’t change history; we can only report events.”

Tigran Avetisyan, the editor of the other paper, Hingshabti, expressed a concern that may reveal the nature of election campaigning in Gyumri and be at the heart of the issue of freedom of speech and self-censorship.

“You can’t imagine what is going on in our city, the situation is tense,” Avetisyan says.

To the question whether it was possible that they would lose advertisers because of that supplement, Avetisyan said: “Perhaps even more is possible, at this moment everything is unpredictable,” says Avetisyan.

(ArmeniaNow staff reports were used in this article)