On December 17-18, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Council of Europe, organized a two-day training session at the MIA Educational Complex. The event was attended by police officers, journalists, and representatives of civil society organizations. The goal was to strengthen communication between the police and journalists during mass events or emergency situations and to increase professional effectiveness, as well as ensure the safety of journalists.
The training was conducted as a part of the Council of Europe’s campaign for journalists’ safety.
The speakers of the training were the Consultant on Human Rights and Media Law of the Council of Europe Peter Noorlander and international expert, lawyer Ara Ghazaryan.
Press Secretary of the Minister of Internal Affairs and Head of Public Communication and Awareness Department Narek Sargsyan emphasized in his speech the necessity of such training sessions, since both police officers and journalists often encounter high-risk situations.
The speakers addressed a number of topics, particularly the role of media and freedom of speech in accordance with European standards in a democratic society, the legislation of the Republic of Armenia regarding the protection of journalists, and more.
An active discussion took place, during which the speakers and participants presented both local and international experience.
According to international expert and lawyer Ara Ghazaryan, “The training course is proceeding effectively because different ideas are clashing. Interactions, disagreements, and differences of opinion between journalists and police officers are welcomed, as they can bring improvements to the work of both journalists and law enforcement officers”.
According to Council of Europe Consultant on Human Rights and Media Law Peter Noorlander, the two-day training course is one of the important steps in the dialogue: ‘This course is important because it gives journalists and police officers an opportunity to engage in dialogue. It also provides an opportunity to develop the police’s understanding of the difficulties journalists face, as well as for journalists to understand how the police works.
Thus, such training sessions are an important step toward establishing closer cooperation between journalists and police officers, which contributes to the creation of a unified and safe working environment for both.