US embassy cable - 05YEREVAN1420

UNCLAS YEREVAN 001420 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPT FOR EUR/CACEN, DRL 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, PHUM, PGOV, AM 
SUBJECT: "CENSORSHIP" AND THE HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDER 
 
REF: YEREVAN 1083 
 
(U) Sensitive but Unclassified.  Please protect accordingly. 
 
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EDITORIAL ALLEGES GOVERNMENT ACTION TO UNDERCUT OMBUDSMAN 
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1. (SBU) In a short editorial comment on August 3 titled 
"Either Together, or Not on the Air," opposition newspaper 
Aravot alleged that the Kocharian Administration "ordered" 
Armenian television companies to provide air time to 
Ombudsman Larisa Alaverdyan only if she appeared in programs 
with "August 23 National Alliance" chairman Pushkin Serobyan. 
 The editorial in Aravot asserted that two unnamed television 
stations inexplicably canceled requests for Alaverdyan to 
appear "within hours of one another," after receiving the 
order from the President's office.  Aravot Editor-in-Chief 
Aram Abrahamyan, who returned August 4 from an editors 
conference in Vienna, told us he could not disclose the 
"reliable source" cited in the editorial.  (Note:  Pushkin 
Serobyan is a self-proclaimed "human rights defender" who 
served a number of years in prison for abuse of power as a 
high-ranking police official.  End Note.) 
 
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OMBUDSMAN CLAIMS ARAVOT ALLEGATIONS TRUE 
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2. (SBU) Armenian Ombudsman Larisa Alaverdyan told us that 
pro-government ALM and Shant television stations had canceled 
invitations for her to appear, while producers at Burg and 
Kentron stations told her she would have to appear with 
Serobyan.  Alaverdyan said she refused to associate with 
Serobyan, who "has a criminal past," and canceled her Burg 
and Kentron appearances herself.  Alaverdyan repeated 
allegations that government authorities are working to 
undercut her criticism of the GOAM's human rights record 
(reftel), alleging "now they are trying to keep me away from 
television." 
 
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TV STATIONS DENY ALLEGATIONS 
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3. (SBU) A senior news program host at Burg television told 
us he invited Alaverdyan after Burg aired an interview with 
Pushkin Serobyan.  In the interview, he said, Serobyan 
blasted Alaverdyan as the head of an "ineffective" Office of 
the Ombudsman.  The program host said his directors wanted 
Alaverdyan's response, that Alaverdyan has an open invitation 
to appear alone, and that he has no contact with the 
president's office.  A senior news program host at Kentron 
television told us he wanted Alaverdyan and Serobyan to 
appear on the same program, but Alaverdyan refused.  An ALM 
television news director told us ALM had not invited 
Alaverdyan, but planned to do so now.  We could not reach the 
Shant television program host, who is currently on vacation. 
 
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COMMENT: TRUE, FALSE, OR SOMEWHERE IN BETWEEN? 
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4. (SBU) Aravot editor-in-chief Aram Abrahamyan, who is 
usually quick to point his finger, told us he could not 
disclose the source cited in the editorial.  He did, however, 
hint to us that Serobyan might be gunning for Alaverdyan's 
position as Armenia's human rights defender.  Producers at 
ALM, Burg and Kentron have dismissed the Aravot allegations 
as untrue and, in the process, have directly contradicted 
Alaverdyan's claims.  The only sure thing in the ongoing 
Human Rights Defender soap opera is that allegations will 
likely continue. 
GODFREY