By Ani Tadevosyan

The Coalition to Stop Violence Against Women rallied outside the Yerevan studios of A-TV on August 9 to protest how the media portrays women and the excessive violence that appears in many TV broadcasts.

The protesters singled out A-TV’s series “Half-Opened Windows” and the program “Dangerous Silence”, arguing that it incited the murder of a Yerevan family a month earlier, on July 8.

Vladik Martirosyan took an axe to his estranged wife and her parents. The mother was killed and the wife and her father are in hospital.

Before viciously attacking the family, Vladik Martirosyan appeared on the TV program “Dangerous Silence” and was treated like the victim, according to protesters.

The panel of experts urged Martirosyan to keep the family intact and to bring his estranged wife back into the fold.

The Coalition says that the TV program revealed intimate personal information about the wife without her consent and never broached the fact that Martirosyan had a history of beating his wife.

The Coalition argues that all these ethical violations, coupled with the program’s attitude that violence against women is acceptable, sends the wrong message to society and leads to tragic consequences, as evidenced by the actions of Vladik Martirosyan.

The protesters demanded to see Hrach Mouradyan, moderator of the “Half-Opened Windows” series, but were told that he is on vacation.

Photos: Ani Tadevosyan