Since August 5, Panorama.am photographer Lilian Galstyan has been banned from entering the building of Armenia’s National Assembly. The decision was made by Deputy Chief of Staff of the National Assembly, Anna Grigoryan, with a notification letter sent to the editorial office of Panorama.am.
Incidentally, the photo series by Lilian Galstyan of the security measures in place at the parliament published on the Panorama.am news website have gone viral on the Armenian social media platforms, sparking wide criticism of the government.
The National Assembly said in the letter that while carrying out her professional activities, the photographer allegedly violated Clause 2.8 of Appendix 1 of the parliament speaker’s decision on the approval of the rules in the building of the National Assembly, according to which “it is prohibited videotaping, filming and photographing of security personnel during the course of their professional activities on the territory of the protected area, including at checkpoints."
It is worth noting that Clause 2.8 of the legal act was added by Alen Simonyan on July 30, when he was not still the parliament speaker and temporarily assumed the speaker’s duties because then Speaker Ararat Mirzoyan went on vacation on July 27-30.
To note, the Panorama.am photographer did not take photos at any of the National Assembly checkpoints located on Baghramyan Avenue and Demirchyan Street.
Some of the published photos were taken at the courtyard of the National Assembly, which, according to Nikol Pashinyan's statement made three years ago, should have been open even to ordinary citizens and they should have been allowed to enter and walk around the park bounded by the National Assembly.
While the rest of the photos were taken at the corridors and the parliament sessions hall, where the security officers, who, in fact, have a problem to hide their faces, look directly and with an open face at the hall from where live streaming takes place.
In fact, the National Assembly has been transformed into a ...
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