FreeNews LLC

"Free News" LLC was founded in 2020. According to data from the State Revenue Committee, it is involved in advertising distribution activities.

The company was founded by Hasmik Danielyan, who, according to press reports, has close ties with the company's director, Mariam Margaryan. Mariam Margaryan is the former wife of Alen Simonyan, the Speaker of the National Assembly.

In 2021, Hasmik transferred a 51% stake to Armen Ghalechyan, who at that time was a member of the Yerevan City Council, representing the "Civil Contract" party. In December 2024, Armen Ghalechyan fully transferred his stake in the company back to Hasmik Danielyan.

"Free News" LLC is a member of the "Audiovisual Media Industrial Committee," a self-regulating organization. According to this organization's charter, it is engaged in developing a unified policy in the advertising sector, creating transparent and reliable systems for advertising rating measurements, protecting the common interests of committee members, and other related matters.

Key Facts

Business Form	Commercial / For-profit
Legal Form	Limited Liability Company (LLC)

Ownership

Individual Owner	Hasmik Danielyan 100

Media Outlets

FreeNews TV
TV

Other Media Outlets

Other Online Outlets	freenews.am

Facts

Founding Year	2020
Founder	Hasmik Danielyan Hasmik Danielyan established Free News LLC in 2020 and served as its sole shareholder until May 11, 2021, when Armen Ghalechyan acquired a 51% stake, leaving Danielyan with 49%. Ghalechyan later returned his entire share to Danielyan on December 27, 2024, making her the sole owner again. Notably, Armen Ghalechyan was a member of Yerevan’s Council of Elders from the ruling My Step Alliance between 2018 and 2023. On April 1, 2021, Danielyan founded Mer Lurer LLC, where she maintains full ownership. Mer Lurer LLC is registered at the same address as Free News LLC and, according to the State Revenue Committee, is involved in advertising distribution. No detailed operational information is available, and the company is temporarily suspended.
Contact	Alexander Myasnikyan ¼ 0025 Yerevan info@freenews.am +374 98 777706 www.freenews.am
Tax / ID Number	LLC TAX ID: 02827953 State Register of Legal Entities of the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Armenia

Revenue	Missing Data
Operating Profit	Missing Data
Advertising (in % of total funding)	Missing Data

Other Influential People	Alen Simonyan Alen Simonyan currently serves as President of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia and is a prominent member of the ruling Civil Contract party. He is the former husband of Mariam Margaryan, director of Free News LLC. Simonyan’s media career began with City FM radio station (2006–2007), followed by roles as a producer and director at TV5, Yerkir Media, and Armenia TV from 2007 to 2012. Between 2013 and 2018, he was editor-in-chief and founder of Ararat Media Group LLC, which operated the news website araratnews.am and the magazine Ararat. Simonyan is frequently in the public eye for his statements concerning the Armenian media landscape and journalists, which have sparked recurring attention and debate. Armen Ghalechyan From May 2021 to December 2024, Armen Ghalechyan held a 51% majority ownership in Free News LLC. Ghalechyan was elected as a member of Yerevan’s Council of Elders representing the My Step Alliance in 2018 and served until September 2023. In 2022, he was a candidate for the Oversight Commission of the Civil Contract party. Armen Ghalechyan’s brother, Arman Ghalechyan, currently serves as Deputy Head of Yerevan’s Kanaker-Zeytun administrative district. In 2015, Armen Ghalechyan was registered as a sole proprietor; however, this registration was terminated within the same year. Public records indicate that neither Armen Ghalechyan nor individuals registered at the same address hold shares in other companies.

Other Influential People

Alen Simonyan
Alen Simonyan currently serves as President of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia and is a prominent member of the ruling Civil Contract party. He is the former husband of Mariam Margaryan, director of Free News LLC. Simonyan’s media career began with City FM radio station (2006–2007), followed by roles as a producer and director at TV5, Yerkir Media, and Armenia TV from 2007 to 2012. Between 2013 and 2018, he was editor-in-chief and founder of Ararat Media Group LLC, which operated the news website araratnews.am and the magazine Ararat.
Simonyan is frequently in the public eye for his statements concerning the Armenian media landscape and journalists, which have sparked recurring attention and debate.
Armen Ghalechyan
From May 2021 to December 2024, Armen Ghalechyan held a 51% majority ownership in Free News LLC. Ghalechyan was elected as a member of Yerevan’s Council of Elders representing the My Step Alliance in 2018 and served until September 2023. In 2022, he was a candidate for the Oversight Commission of the Civil Contract party.
Armen Ghalechyan’s brother, Arman Ghalechyan, currently serves as Deputy Head of Yerevan’s Kanaker-Zeytun administrative district. In 2015, Armen Ghalechyan was registered as a sole proprietor; however, this registration was terminated within the same year. Public records indicate that neither Armen Ghalechyan nor individuals registered at the same address hold shares in other companies.

Headlines	Dark clouds over "Free News." The Ministry of High-Tech Industry is in a "combative" mood. 2024.02.05, 168.am, accessed on 25.07.2025 The Television and Radio Commission (TRC) has fined "Free News" and "Yerkir Media" TV stations. 2022.08.23, infocom.am, accessed on 25.07.2025 The Deputy Chief of Staff of the Prime Minister "publishes," and the website led by the wife of the Speaker of the National Assembly republishes. 2021.10.04, infocom.am, accessed on 25.07.2025
Data Publicly Available	ownership data is easily available from other sources, e. g. public registries etc.
Meta Data	To collect company data, the MOM Team first reviewed the FreeNews.am website, which provided only basic details such as the company’s name, address, and email contact. Information on ownership and directorship was sourced from e-register.am, the State Register of Legal Entities maintained by the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Armenia. The MOM Team also submitted an official request to the media outlet, seeking biographical data for the owner, director, and editor, as well as a copy of the company’s annual financial statement. The outlet replied that both the director and founder were currently out of the country and unable to respond to these inquiries at this time.
Sources	State Register of Legal Entities of the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Armenia, accessed 25.07.2025 The State Revenue Committee of the Republic of Armenia, accessed 25.07.2025
Documents (PDF)	Free news LLC profile (Armenian) Link File Free news LLC Beneficial ownership declaration (Armenian) Link File Free news LLC CEO (Armenian) Link File Free news LLC owners (Armenian) Link File Free news LLC charter (Armenian) Link File MOM request to FreeNews TV (Armenian) File FreeNews TV response to MOM request (Armenian) File