News & events
A photo exhibition on free speech and information marks the Press Freedom Day in Armenia
03.05.2010
"Freedom of press: the right to know" is the theme of the exhibition that opened in Yerevan today to mark the World Press Freedom Day. The event, organized by the Freedom of Information Center of Armenia NGO as part of the Access to Information for Community Involvement project funded by the US Agency for International Development (USAID), in cooperation with the OSCE Office in Yerevan and the UN Department of Public Information, brought together journalists, representatives of state institutions and civil society in Armenia.
The aim of the one week exhibition featuring over 30 unique images selected out of 300 submitted photos is to reflect ideas on the challenges and opportunities of exercising the right to know and to remind the government, media representatives and public at large of their role in achieving this right. All photos included in the exhibition will be published in a catalogue.
The Head of the OSCE Office in Yerevan, Ambassador Sergey Kapinos welcomed the exhibition as a creative way to show public perceptions about freedom of information and expression situation. "Free access to information is key to the respect of human dignity and serves as a critical tool enabling citizens to take active part in public life and helping them exercise their other human rights. This exhibition is a good opportunity to contemplate over these issues”, he said.
President of the Freedom of Information Centre, Shushan Doydoyan added: “This is a special exhibition since everybody, including journalists, citizens, professional photographers were invited to present their images on the topic. In the photos the heroes voice their disagreement towards violence against press freedom, as well as they try to exercise their access to information right despite obstacles and barriers they face”.
“Freedom of information is intrinsically linked to the basic human right of freedom of expression and therefore also fundamentally connected to press freedom, representing a crucial element to enable media to strengthen democratization, good governance and human development”, Dafina Gercheva, UN Resident Coordinator in Armenia mentioned.
The US Ambassador to Armenia noted in her speech: “To move forward in today’s dynamic global environment, societies must tap into the creativity and talents of their people. This means trusting their citizens to make meaningful choices based on full information. I urge all of us to recommit to working for a more open and informed society in Armenia.”
The World Press Freedom Day is celebrated across the globe every May 3, to commemorate the fundamental principles of media freedom and to call on member states to guarantee and promote freedom of information and to remind civil society organizations, other relevant stakeholders, and the news media in particular, of their central part in furthering it.