Ararat TV Company launched a campaign against non-governmental organizations

Ararat TV company and some Russian-language media have launched a campaign against a number of NGOs operating in Armenia in the past month. Due to some misinformation broadcasted on TV and spread through media, these media try to discredit NGOs operating in the field of human rights protection and fighting against corruption. Pro-government and pro-Russian news outlets use coordinators of the organization “For the restoration of sovereignty” for this purposes.

In September Ararat broadcasted two programs within the framework of “Countdown” program referring to NGOs operating in Armenia, both with participation of the above mentioned movement coordinators. It is remarkable that members of this particular organization were chosen. The organization is well known for its propaganda aimed at deepening Armenian-Russian relations and is one of the most active circulators of misinformation on “biological weapon labs” in Armenia.

Hayk Nahapetyan, coordinator of the above-mentioned organization, was hosted by the “Countdown” programme on September 7. In the 30-minute broadcast the latter has made a series of statements that may disorient the viewer.

Nahapetyan presented sources of funding and some figures of a number of non-governmental organizations without specifying in what period of time and for what kind of activity the organizations received those funds.

Referring to NGOs, the movement coordinator states that Women’s Resource Center called for violence against the police during the July events of last year by using social media. According to Nahapetyan, after the occupation of police regiment by Sasna Tsrer in July 2016 the organization called for actions against the police “the same way as it was in all countries where coups through colored revolutions took place”. Meanwhile, at the Women’s Resource Center Facebook social network page there are two posts about the events in July 2016. In the posts an attempt was made to inform and assist affected citizens, and there is no call to action against the police, as Nahapetyan claims.

Speaking about funding sources of NGOs, the analyst states that “whoever finances, orders the music”. However, he does not present who is his “music” orderer.

Discussion on the same topic was continued in another broadcast two weeks after this broadcast, where another coordinator of the same movement, Hayk Ayvazyan, was hosted.

The main conclusion through interviews in the programs broadcasted by the TV company of is strengthening of the policy regarding NGOs.

It is noteworthy that Ararat TV Company, which is actively engaged in discrediting civil society, is located at Melik-Adamyan 2, at the office of Republican Party.