Manana Aslamazyan, a Key Figure in the Development of TV in Russia, Died in a Car Accident

Manana Aslamazyan, the ex-CEO of the Internews organization in Russia and one of the key figures in the development of TV news in Russia and the CIS, died on August 30 after being hit with the car in Yerevan, Armenia. She was 70 years old, according to The Moscow Times.

The source mentions that Aslamazyan started working with Internews in 1991 after a career in theater; due to her energy and devotion, the non-governmental organization turned into the most important training center for journalists and TV directors.

Most of Internews’ initial activity was related to the new TV channels emerging in the regional towns of Russia. During the seminars and workshops with specialists from around the world and in Russia, she worked with aspiring journalists, editors, camera operators, sound technicians, and TV channel administrators. The channels that cooperated with Internews were among the best and most awarded TV channels in the country.

Aslamazyan and Internews – and Obrazovannye Media (the Russian for “Educated Media”) as its successor – continued their activities in the countries of the former Soviet Union until 2007. That year, Aslamazyan was detained upon her arrival in Sheremetyevo Airport for a minor breach of the currency regime. A search which involved confiscation of all the computers and documents took place at Obrazovannye Media. The organization was later dissolved, despite the protests of thousands of Russian journalists.

In Yerevan, she helped organize Artdocfest headed by Vitaly Mansky in Riga, Latvia.

In 2002, she received the Mediamanager of Russia award “for special achievements in media business development.” In 2010, Aslamazyan got a special award of the Academy of Russian Television for her personal contribution to the development of Russian TV and training professionals for regional television. Almost every Russian TV professional was helped by Aslamazyan and the organizations she managed, according to the same source.

“The news about her death was announced on Facebook by journalist Victor Muchnik, who was planning to meet with her on the evening she passed away. The social networks were filled with hundreds of tributes and memories,” The Moscow Times writes.