Public TV Head denies censorship claims over "Our Path to  Independence" documentary

ArmInfo. Hovhannes Movsisyan, the Executive Director of Public Television of Armenia (PTA),has officially refuted allegations by director Tigran Paskevichyan regarding the "banning" of his documentary film, "Our Path to  Independence." The film covers the pivotal events of the late 1980s and early 1990s, focusing on the Nagorno-Karabakh movement and Armenia's declaration of independence. 

Addressing the controversy on Facebook, Movsisyan wrote: "First of  all, no film was banned. This isn't about censorship, but about a  failure to fulfill contractual obligations. The film was  commissioned, a clear deadline was set, and even a broadcast date was  fixed. However, the author failed to submit the work within the  contractual deadline.  Despite this, after some time, the author  began screening the film without the permission of the copyright  holder, Public Television. It was only when he began publicly  accusing Public Television at one of these screenings that a legal  response became necessary. This is why Public Television filed a  lawsuit to protect its rights. It is also noteworthy that during the  trial, it was the author who attempted to reach a settlement. It is  regrettable that this simple legal issue is being presented as a  story about a "banned film," accompanied by unfounded insults, he  noted.

At the same time, Movsisyan noted that options are currently being  considered for making the film accessible so that everyone can assess  the situation for themselves. The executive director of PTA also  expressed bewilderment at the fact that the director, in a public  recording, insults by name people who approved the film's financing  or who are completely unrelated to the topic.

Recall,  director Tigran Paskevichyan previously reported that the  court had ruled out any possibility of screening the film "Our Path  to Independence," including in-person screenings. "The pathetic  public television company, which has banned and refused to show my  film "Our Path to Independence" for five and a half years, has,  through the court, ruled out any possibility of screening it,  including screenings in halls," he wrote. The director noted that  only those who hate their own country's history and achievements are  capable of such a petty act.