Freedom House urges the Armenian authorities to repeal the law on fines for defamation and insult, which was adopted on March 24.

“It is unfortunate that the Armenian government is supporting fines that will stifle free expression and threaten the financial viability of media outlets in the country,” the March 26 statement said.

This is referring to the law adopted in the second reading and in full, which sets the maximum amount of compensation for defamation in Armenia at 6 million AMD, and for insult, 3 million AMD.

“We urge the Armenian authorities to take the concerns of civil society and media organizations seriously, and strike down this legislation,” said Marc Behrendt, a Freedom House statement authored by European and Eurasian Program Director.

The rationale for the appeal is that excessive fines can be used as a means of political pressure on independent media organizations that may criticize politicians and other influential public figures.

The statement also underscores the fact that the law was adopted without taking into account the views and concerns of the Ministry of Justice, the Office of the Human Rights Defender, civil society and the media.

Nune Hakhverdyan