I’m also a bit disappointed that RFE/RL didn’t cover the story on its English-language news pages although it’s main audience are radio listeners. The audio of the broadcast is probably already on yesterday’s archive page at http://www.rferl.org. Maybe they’ll have something later online although as I said, its radio coverage is probably more important.

Still, it has to be said that this was quite a show of strength and unity by Indian students in Armenia. Seen nothing like it from Armenians in the 7 years I’ve been here.

Basically, I love such comments coz they illustrate how stupid and far removed from reality such people are. Keep them coming. They make me realize that what I’m doing is hitting home. Anyway, to the anonymous person who’s hiding their identity, I know from your ip address that you’re in Armenia and I can guess who you are. Incidently, it’s usually those people that conceal their identity or hide behind masks that need a psychologist.

Anyway, for many reasons, it makes me especially happy to recieve this comment. Finally, real information is coming out from Armenia and its precisely this fact that concerns these people. Means I’m doing well in bursting their bubble in Armenia which is usually based on monopolizing connections in civil society in order to gain power, money or both.

BTW: The media and youth here is an issue because it’s part and parcel of the same corrupt and stagnant system that meant this student died. How the incident is being reported and not being reported is also starting to concern those Indian students I’ve spoken to.

Armenia TV sucks. Withdraw your financial support please, Mr Cafesjian, or get rid of Bagrat Sarkisyan.

Long and the short of it is that there were NO cameras marked with the H1 and Armenia TV logs when I was there earlier in the day, and no film crews at the night vigil when I arrived. At the meeting with the Indian Ambassador and Tigran Torosian in Yerevan State Medical University late last night, there were not journalists or film crews there. I can say that quite categorically because journalists were asked to leave and I was the only one outside the auditorium.

Anyway, no TV news film crews covered this demonstration as they normally would in any other country ie if Armenia TV was there with marked cameras and microphones they got there far too late and didn’t stay long. If they now use unmarked cameras and microphones for demonstrations it says a lot about how they’re perceived in Armenia. Regardless if some slot on Armenia TV covered it, I want to know if it made the main headlines on Armenia TV’s normal news programmes. I’m told by Zarchka that she didn’t see any news coverage when she was flicking through the channels yesterday.

Anyway, regarding news coverage of demonstrations, here’s an email I received from a MAJOR pro-democracy international organization yesterday which says it all, I think.

I was recently at an event that I was sure you’d be willing to witness and capture but the organizers didn’t know you. SO I decided I should get youth to know each other. It’s Lala Aslikyan from Huys NGO who was one of the organizers of yesterday’s protest action regarding the unjust trial of Razmik Sargsyan (you may have heard)
who is accused fo murduring people during army service, which was in fact done by higher ranks.

Anyways, there was that protest action and naturally no media ever turned up though had been informed. So I thought it was something you’d be interested to cover. If you send me your cell or other contact details, I’ll give it to Lala and she’ll keep touch with you for this type of events.

Incidently, this was also true for major opposition protests in Armenia since 2003. It’s also worth noting that apart from French-Armenian Max Sivaslian, Photolure and two young kids photographing, I saw NONE of Armenia’s “great” photojournalists cover this event. Experience has shown they only work on issues when there’s money in it and they steer clear from protests demonstrations in general.

Max Sivaslian and I, for example, along with Photolure and Arminfo were the only photographers that covered the presidential elections as photojournalists should have. Others didn’t even bother to turn up for the main protest demonstration in February and March 2003. In April 2004 one photojournalist even told me he wouldn’t risk getting his camera smashed by police even though it meant that he was effectively not doing his job.

Senthilkumar