Publications
Articles
Freedom of Information in Regions
04.03.2004
Karine Simonyan,
“Ankyun+3” TV company, Alaverdy
Bulletin 10
Asking for information from state structures, journalists working in the regions first of all have to answer the following question of the official: “Is the interview for republican or local mass media?” In case the programs or article is prepared for local mass media officials speak more openly and without excessive caution. If the program is prepared for republican mass media, officials are afraid not of larger audience but of the responsibility to higher organs. After the interview is aired they have to answer for what they have said.
Another obstacle for the local mass media in receiving and publishing information is the “secrecy” of regional organizations. Organizations, which are accountable to regional or republican structures, are not authorized to provide digital information to other mass media, organizations and people (NGOs and political organizations, society).
Often officials even ask reporters to leave the halls during discussions over issues that are of special importance for the society. At the start of the academic year the atmosphere was and still is very tense Alaverdy city. The head of education and science department of Lori regional municipality Minas Sayadyan did not allow “Ankyun+3” TV cameramen to take part in the meeting with pedagogical collectives and parents for discussing the destiny of two schools. Displeased with the situation, pedagogues, participating in the meeting have publicly confessed in the governor’s illegal activities and their participation in them.
Last year a precedent of information right protection was registered in the city of Alaverdy. During many years the polyclinic of Alaverdy required payment for giving references for death certificates. The chairman of Armenian Democratic Party Tumanyan branch asserted that it was a gross violation of law, because references were to be given free of charge. The case was taken up by the Tumanyan department of RA Office of Public Prosecutor. The chairman of Alaverdy polyclinic reveiced a written warning. It is more than a year references are given free of charge. On all the floors of the polyclinic, in visible places people can ready the order of RA Minister of Health concerning “The procedure of giving references certifying the fact of home deaths by medical establishments”. However, the same cannot be said about the fixed prices for medical services. In the 3-floor building of the polyclinic there was only one price list which was in the diagnostic centre located on the first floor. The poster was not visible to all the visitor of the polyclinic.
According to articles 282 and 283 of RA legislation on “Administrative violations of the law” concealment of information or provision of false information about harmful evnironment pollution with radioactive, chemical, microbioligical and other substances by an official as well as non-realization or improper realization of deactivating or reconstruction activities in polluted areas is punished by up to 6 years of imprisonment.
In Alaverdy city the largest organization that violates environemntal norms is “ACP” company. However, “ACP” has never published any information about the levels of air pollution as a result of its functioning. Recently, in reply to our information inquiry on the subject, the management of “ACP informed that the organization had never made any laboratory measurements of air pollution. The quarterly report on environment pollution submitted to Lori regional inspectorate is drawn up according to the composition of raw copper. The management of “ACP” refused to give us information, advising to take that informatio from Lori regional inspectorate of RA Ministry of Ecology.
In the presence of social problems and high level of uneployment it is difficult to say whether anyone will dare say if there have been mass disease cases as a result of environment pollution or do the owners properly execute their obligation to take measures for protecting the environment? Nevertheless, the resident of Alaverdy is not well informed about the level of air pollution in the city and “ACP” company in its turn does not treat it as something necessary. The company’s engineer and ecologist Suren Eritsyan did not deny that the information on atmospheric emmissions is a trade secret.
Our request to provide information on air pollution was declined by the Tumanyan department of state hygienic-epidemic inspectorate because “that information is provided to republican mass media only”. The head of hygienic-epidemic inspectorate Haikaz Aghamiryan said that he is not a satate official and is not authorized to provide data about their laboratory measurements. He advised us to apply to the regional inspectorate where they said that the information we want can be found only in Alaverdy.
It turns out that these structures collect information not for the society. If they refuse to give information to journalists, we can say for sure that they will more probably refuse simple citizens who have the right to know how many tons of chemicals are thrown in the air they breath.
Our observations have shown that especially in regions there are very few preconditions for imrproving the situation with information freedom. The society is passive and does not take actions for changing the situation. In Alaverdy notary office we met a person who was there to solve some problems. When I asked him about the possibility of receiving information from state structures, for instance the notary, he complained. Unlike big cities, in Alavery there is only one notary office. Besides state dues, the government has fixes service charges. “The notary sets exorbitant prices”, says the resident of Alaverdy who does not trust the prices. I advised him to check the prices in the price list hanging in the hallway. However, he said he had tried, but didn’t manage because the hallway was too dark, letters to small and the notary – unfriendly. The resident of Alaverdy asked me not to publish his name since he was going to come to the notary office again. “He will not serve me if he learns”, he said. This fear makes people bear the situation.
Working hours of the notary office were not written at the entrance. In our presence at 15:20 the head of the office told a visitor that it was a break time and asked the visitor to come an hour later. Taking the chance that we were there the citizen demanded to serve him. His work was done, but the visitor was not sure whether he would be served in our absence. The notary office serves 31 communities of the region. It is difficult to tell the exact number of villagers who come and go back because of termless breaks announced on any time of the day.
The head of notary office Samvel Mailyan brought his own grounds, refusing to talk to the video camera. The RA government has authorized him to evaluate his own work and set prices for each service. It is noteworthy that the fee for the same service may vary from 500 to 5000 or 2000 to 20000 drams. S. Mailyan says that it depends on the difficulty of the work done. The longer it takes to do the work and the more difficult it is, the hire is the payment for that. “I advise people, explain them the order, tell them what document to bring and check their documents”, Mailyan says. In this case it is not profitable for the office to fully inform people because if they are informed the services may become cheaper. And since people living in villages are less informed, the notary office of Alaverdy provides a lot of services to the citizens and sets high prices. However, S. Mailyan complained about lack of work. He said that 120-130 people a month come to the notary office. 60-70 percent of them ask for translation of documents manily for going abroad. Others ask for notarial attestation of pawning, purchase and sale or testament deals. According to S. Mailyan, the money earned from this deals is not enough for giving salaries, furnishing the office, working honestly and providing electricity to the hallway.
The situation with information in big letters and in a visible place was much better at Tumanyan department of State Cadastre. However the head of the department Nelson Galstyan said that it is difficult for citizens to put up with the high service fees and trust the Cadastre office.
“Ankyun+3” TV company, Alaverdy
Bulletin 10
Asking for information from state structures, journalists working in the regions first of all have to answer the following question of the official: “Is the interview for republican or local mass media?” In case the programs or article is prepared for local mass media officials speak more openly and without excessive caution. If the program is prepared for republican mass media, officials are afraid not of larger audience but of the responsibility to higher organs. After the interview is aired they have to answer for what they have said.
Another obstacle for the local mass media in receiving and publishing information is the “secrecy” of regional organizations. Organizations, which are accountable to regional or republican structures, are not authorized to provide digital information to other mass media, organizations and people (NGOs and political organizations, society).
Often officials even ask reporters to leave the halls during discussions over issues that are of special importance for the society. At the start of the academic year the atmosphere was and still is very tense Alaverdy city. The head of education and science department of Lori regional municipality Minas Sayadyan did not allow “Ankyun+3” TV cameramen to take part in the meeting with pedagogical collectives and parents for discussing the destiny of two schools. Displeased with the situation, pedagogues, participating in the meeting have publicly confessed in the governor’s illegal activities and their participation in them.
Last year a precedent of information right protection was registered in the city of Alaverdy. During many years the polyclinic of Alaverdy required payment for giving references for death certificates. The chairman of Armenian Democratic Party Tumanyan branch asserted that it was a gross violation of law, because references were to be given free of charge. The case was taken up by the Tumanyan department of RA Office of Public Prosecutor. The chairman of Alaverdy polyclinic reveiced a written warning. It is more than a year references are given free of charge. On all the floors of the polyclinic, in visible places people can ready the order of RA Minister of Health concerning “The procedure of giving references certifying the fact of home deaths by medical establishments”. However, the same cannot be said about the fixed prices for medical services. In the 3-floor building of the polyclinic there was only one price list which was in the diagnostic centre located on the first floor. The poster was not visible to all the visitor of the polyclinic.
According to articles 282 and 283 of RA legislation on “Administrative violations of the law” concealment of information or provision of false information about harmful evnironment pollution with radioactive, chemical, microbioligical and other substances by an official as well as non-realization or improper realization of deactivating or reconstruction activities in polluted areas is punished by up to 6 years of imprisonment.
In Alaverdy city the largest organization that violates environemntal norms is “ACP” company. However, “ACP” has never published any information about the levels of air pollution as a result of its functioning. Recently, in reply to our information inquiry on the subject, the management of “ACP informed that the organization had never made any laboratory measurements of air pollution. The quarterly report on environment pollution submitted to Lori regional inspectorate is drawn up according to the composition of raw copper. The management of “ACP” refused to give us information, advising to take that informatio from Lori regional inspectorate of RA Ministry of Ecology.
In the presence of social problems and high level of uneployment it is difficult to say whether anyone will dare say if there have been mass disease cases as a result of environment pollution or do the owners properly execute their obligation to take measures for protecting the environment? Nevertheless, the resident of Alaverdy is not well informed about the level of air pollution in the city and “ACP” company in its turn does not treat it as something necessary. The company’s engineer and ecologist Suren Eritsyan did not deny that the information on atmospheric emmissions is a trade secret.
Our request to provide information on air pollution was declined by the Tumanyan department of state hygienic-epidemic inspectorate because “that information is provided to republican mass media only”. The head of hygienic-epidemic inspectorate Haikaz Aghamiryan said that he is not a satate official and is not authorized to provide data about their laboratory measurements. He advised us to apply to the regional inspectorate where they said that the information we want can be found only in Alaverdy.
It turns out that these structures collect information not for the society. If they refuse to give information to journalists, we can say for sure that they will more probably refuse simple citizens who have the right to know how many tons of chemicals are thrown in the air they breath.
Our observations have shown that especially in regions there are very few preconditions for imrproving the situation with information freedom. The society is passive and does not take actions for changing the situation. In Alaverdy notary office we met a person who was there to solve some problems. When I asked him about the possibility of receiving information from state structures, for instance the notary, he complained. Unlike big cities, in Alavery there is only one notary office. Besides state dues, the government has fixes service charges. “The notary sets exorbitant prices”, says the resident of Alaverdy who does not trust the prices. I advised him to check the prices in the price list hanging in the hallway. However, he said he had tried, but didn’t manage because the hallway was too dark, letters to small and the notary – unfriendly. The resident of Alaverdy asked me not to publish his name since he was going to come to the notary office again. “He will not serve me if he learns”, he said. This fear makes people bear the situation.
Working hours of the notary office were not written at the entrance. In our presence at 15:20 the head of the office told a visitor that it was a break time and asked the visitor to come an hour later. Taking the chance that we were there the citizen demanded to serve him. His work was done, but the visitor was not sure whether he would be served in our absence. The notary office serves 31 communities of the region. It is difficult to tell the exact number of villagers who come and go back because of termless breaks announced on any time of the day.
The head of notary office Samvel Mailyan brought his own grounds, refusing to talk to the video camera. The RA government has authorized him to evaluate his own work and set prices for each service. It is noteworthy that the fee for the same service may vary from 500 to 5000 or 2000 to 20000 drams. S. Mailyan says that it depends on the difficulty of the work done. The longer it takes to do the work and the more difficult it is, the hire is the payment for that. “I advise people, explain them the order, tell them what document to bring and check their documents”, Mailyan says. In this case it is not profitable for the office to fully inform people because if they are informed the services may become cheaper. And since people living in villages are less informed, the notary office of Alaverdy provides a lot of services to the citizens and sets high prices. However, S. Mailyan complained about lack of work. He said that 120-130 people a month come to the notary office. 60-70 percent of them ask for translation of documents manily for going abroad. Others ask for notarial attestation of pawning, purchase and sale or testament deals. According to S. Mailyan, the money earned from this deals is not enough for giving salaries, furnishing the office, working honestly and providing electricity to the hallway.
The situation with information in big letters and in a visible place was much better at Tumanyan department of State Cadastre. However the head of the department Nelson Galstyan said that it is difficult for citizens to put up with the high service fees and trust the Cadastre office.