[PsilocybeLarvae]

ARMENIA RANKING THE 83TH AS REGARDS FREEDOM OF PRESS: <REPORTERS WITHOUT FRONTIERS>

(c) 2004 ARMINFO News Agency. Quotation to ARMINFO and its sources is required in case of citing or republication.

YEREVAN. OCTOBER 27. ARMINFO. Armenia ranks the 83th as regards freedom of press. The third report of the organization <Reporters without frontiers> on the freedom of speech states this. According to the report, Azerbaijan ranks the 136th, Georgia -the 94th, Russia ranked the 140th. Denmark ranked the first, North Korea ranked the last-167th.

[Strider]

I am so proud...
It is a long way to democracy and respect of basic human rights. Do you think we will ever make it? Do you think we should try to? Some people believe democracy is not what Armenia needs, since we are somehow "culturally different"

[PsilocybeLarvae]

Originally Posted by Strider

I am so proud...
It is a long way to democracy and respect of basic human rights. Do you think we will ever make it? Do you think we should try to?

Positive

Some people believe democracy is not what Armenia needs, since we are somehow "culturally different"

Those people make me go mad. What's ironic is that those are usually the people who have left Armenia at some point and, while enjoy living in democratic country, claim that Armenians are not suited for a democracy.

[Red Stone]

Barew!

Freedom (in the press or anywhere else) is something that you must fight for every day!

About press freedom, just check the example of Portugal: in the 2002 report was the 9th. Now it's the 25th. Coincidence or not, in 2002 the colour of our government changed...

Let's expect things to get better... with our help!

[Obelix]

Those people make me go mad. What's ironic is that those are usually the people who have left Armenia at some point and, while enjoy living in democratic country, claim that Armenians are not suited for a democracy.

I wouldn't react so strongly to it. Actually, nowdays democracy has become a sort of international standard and not solely the will of the people, as it is by definition. The problem is that we cannot develop our own standard of democracy suited for us, because the west will not accept it.

[_Harut_]

while such a ranking doesn't really mean much, it's still patvi harts a. consider this, what if all this 82 countries ahead of armenia have perfect freedom of speech and armenia has it near perfect. 83th wouldn't be too bad, would it?

but with all that said...
those who oppose freedom of press or any kind of freedom for that matter are those whom can't personaly (read financially) benefit from it. in other words, there are people who hold certain positions, views, and so forth that bring financial benefit (or at least popularity (aftaritet)) to them. some of those people have inner instinctive or very abvious insecurities that their positions/views are not "right". thus, freedom of press (or speech) can hinder them. and that is why they oppose it.

so yah, it comes down to insecurity.

[_Harut_]

Originally Posted by PsilocybeLarvae

Positive



Those people make me go mad. What's ironic is that those are usually the people who have left Armenia at some point and, while enjoy living in democratic country, claim that Armenians are not suited for a democracy.

interestingly enough, my experience has been the opposite, especially as far as the freedom of press is considered. here in usa, you can find armenian newspapers and tv channels with views ranging from the most ultra conservative to the most liberal, from the most pro-governmental to the most pro-oppositionary. while there are people who complain about the existance of those media sources who they don't belong to, generally people here expect to have that balance and the freedom and wish the same for armenia. (at least that's what my experience has been with people around here)

[_Harut_]

Originally Posted by Strider

Some people believe democracy is not what Armenia needs, since we are somehow "culturally different"

a lame excuse if you ask me...
if this "culture" is not going to serve its people, then does people need this culture? and if it does, if it does serve its people, if people do want this culture, then there you have a democracy.

plus, let me just remind you, that a few hundred years ago, all of these democratic countries of today have been as oppressive as saudi arabia is today.

[Mono]

There is no any freedom of speech in Armenia. We want tell the people about the System but no any media gives us a time.. Because they are al corrupted.

[_Harut_]

Originally Posted by Obelix

The problem is that we cannot develop our own standard of democracy suited for us, because the west will not accept it.

and that is why there exist politics, politicians, foreign ministry, diplomacy, and all the "good" things that come with it, to negotiate, smoothen those differences, and bring the parties to an understanding.
but when every dodi gago and lfik samo becomes a minister and deputat to feel out their pockets insead of serving the people and the country, then the country and its people are left to all kinds influences and pressures from outside.

and that's how dictatorships and authocracies are born... people get angry about outside influences, and ultraconservative hardliners capitalize on this fact and instead of fixing the problem of having weak diplomacy castros in cuba, hussenins in iraq, nazarbayevs in kazakhistan, nusharafs in pakistan, etc. are born.

[_Harut_]

Originally Posted by Mono

There is no any freedom of speech in Armenia. We want tell the people about the System but no any media gives us a time.. Because they are al corrupted.

tell me about the system, what system is it?

[_Harut_]

btw, sorry for hijacking the thread. it's just that there aren't many non-russian threads in the forum.

[Obelix]

_Harut_
I agree with you that having semi-educated businessmen in the parliament and the government defending their own interests does a lot of damage, but I think the issue here is different. Let's look at the issue of religious sects, which has become so actual nowadays. The EU and international organizations want freedom of conscience. In their strive for ensuring this freedom they are ready to go radical. I think it was last year when we had the mormons walking around the city. I’m not sure was it USAID or one of the UN organizations, but it was one of them who financed them. Now I don’t understand this, and few Armenians do. On the other hand, if we choose to take a hard line on the issue of religious sects the EU will go mad. They don’t want to consider any type of freedom of conscience without full freedom given to the sects, meanwhile I personally believe, that we can go about very well without the sects having that much freedom.

So my point is that politicians don’t have much of a say in here. We need our EC membership and we need the money the west is pouring in, and so far we don’t have much of a say as to what we democracy we want.

[Mono]

tell me about the system, what system is it?

I cannot i don't have the right yet.. If the US elections will become fraudulent one then i will say what it is??

[Mono]

Now i can just say that it owns FED..