Targeting the Free Press: The Ruling Party’s Smear Campaign Against Azatutyun

28.02.2025

 

By Tigran Grigoryan

 

The ruling Civil Contract party has launched a public smear campaign against Radio Free Europe/Radio Libety’s Armenian Service (Azatutyun). Two high-ranking government officials—Arayik Harutyunyan, the head of the Prime Minister’s Administration, and Ruben Rubinyan, the Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly—have led verbal attacks against Azatutyun.

 

Harutyunyan accused Azatutyun of spreading “fake” news and likened the outlet’s reporting style to that of the pro-opposition Fifth Channel. His frustration stemmed from a recent Azatutyun report that he claimed misrepresented his social media activity. Specifically, he defended a positive post he had made about snowfall in Armenia, arguing that at the time of his post, there were no reports of road closures or hazardous conditions. He accused Azatutyun of amplifying opposition narratives and engaging in a smear campaign against him.

 

His post took a particularly aggressive tone, addressing Azatutyun’s director, Heghine Buniatyan, directly and urging the media outlet to continue “disgracing itself to the very end.”

 

Rubinyan echoed these sentiments a few days later, criticizing Azatutyun for featuring opposition figure Levon Zurabyan in two separate reports. He accused the outlet of deliberately pushing a narrative that blames Armenia for the ethnic cleansing of Nagorno-Karabakh’s Armenian population. According to Rubinyan, Azatutyun’s repeated interviews with Zurabyan demonstrate an agenda-driven approach.

 

In a mocking tone, Rubinyan proposed that Azatutyun create a dedicated program titled “100 Reasons Why Armenia Is to Blame,” featuring Zurabyan alongside figures such as Armenia’s second president, Robert Kocharyan, and Russian propagandists like Margarita Simonyan and Vladimir Solovyov.

 

This campaign was further amplified by various supporters of the ruling party, resulting in insults and threats against the media outlet and its journalists.

 

Several Armenian media watchdog organizations have already condemned these attacks on Azatutyun by government officials. They highlighted a growing trend of targeting the media outlet through social media accusations, particularly by high-ranking officials who have questioned its professionalism and accused it of bias. Their statement denounces these actions as unacceptable interference in editorial independence. The organizations call on the authorities to end media smear campaigns, urge journalists to resist political pressure, and encourage the public to demand adherence to democratic values, including respect for press freedom.

 

The Armenian government’s hostility toward Azatutyun is not new. Over the past several years, high-ranking Armenian officials have privately complained about the media outlet in closed-door meetings with Western actors, spreading false narratives about its editorial policy and leadership. I know this firsthand, as several international interlocutors have asked me about the validity of these claims, indicating that their sources are various high-ranking Armenian officials. These narratives have also been promoted by multiple pro-government actors within the country.

 

The main reason behind this ongoing campaign is both trivial and ironic: Azatutyun is the largest media outlet in Armenia that provides balanced and non-partisan news coverage. The very attacks by government officials serve as proof of this. The fact that opposition figures are given a platform to voice their criticism of government policies is perceived as partisanship. Criticism of the government’s actions is deemed unacceptable. In other words, the upholding of basic journalistic principles has been weaponized and turned into an accusation of bias.

 

It is also worth noting that just weeks before these attacks, Azatutyun faced backlash from the opposition after publishing a report on the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace talks, which challenged the former ruling elites’ narratives on the issue.

 

The ruling party’s attacks against Azatutyun and other independent media outlets align with the growing global trend of demonizing the press. Having found a conducive international environment, the ruling party has now escalated these attacks into the public domain. The language and tone used by high-ranking officials indicate a clear intent to smear journalists and media organizations. This, in turn, reflects the values of these officials—values that are clearly not democratic.

 

In an environment of political and media polarization, Azatutyun and other independent outlets play a crucial role in informing the public and holding the government accountable. In this sense, attacks against independent media should be seen as direct assaults on Armenia’s prospects for democratic consolidation and treated accordingly.

 

Democracy Watch is a joint initiative of CivilNet and the Regional Center for Democracy and Security.

 

This material has been funded by UK International Development from the UK government; however, the views expressed do not necessarily reflect the UK government’s official policies.