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The Armenian authorities’ transitional justice plan, which first of all deals with the redistribution of property, poses a threat to the media, Aghasi Yenokyan, a media expert, told reporters on Friday.

The expert said the authorities have repeatedly complained about a lack of sufficient control over the sphere.

“I am afraid the redistribution of property will first of all affect the media,” Yenokyan said.

He pointed to an increase in the number of court proceedings against media outlets, adding a total of 91 lawsuits were filed over the past year, a figure not recorded in the previous five years together.

“Media outlets are rather delicate and not very rich organizations, which means any lawsuit against a news agency implies a loss of time and financial resources. Those cases, I believe, are an attempt to exert pressure on the media,” he said.

The expert also condemned the division of media outlets between ‘blacks’ and ‘whites’, stressing the media unity is the key guarantee of the freedom of speech and press.