Censorship Censorship is the suppression of speech, public communication, or other information. This may be done on the basis that such material is considered objectionable, harmful, sensitive, or "inconvenient". Censorship can be conducted by governments ...

Armenia Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ' ...

is generally non-existent, except in some limited incidents. Armenia has recorded unprecedented progress in the 2022 World Press Freedom Index, improving positions by 11 points and ranking 51st on the list.

Publication To publish is to make content available to the general public.Berne Conve ...

also confirms absence of cases of killed

journalist A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalis ...

s, citizen journalists or media assistants.

History

1990s and before

The process of democratization of the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

started with the policy of Glasnost, meaning openness or freedom of speech. ;1995 Constitution In 1995, a

constitutional referendum A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a direct vote by the electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a representative. This may result in the adoption of a ...

approved changes to the old Soviet-era Constitution. In the 1995 Constitution, article 24 was dedicated to

freedom of expression Freedom of speech is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction. The right to freedom of expression has been recog ...

: Still, articles 44 and 45 ruled the possibility of temporary suspensions of media freedom to protect "state and

public security Public security or public safety is the prevention of and protection from events that could endanger the safety and security of the public from significant danger, injury, or property damage. It is often conducted by a state government to ensur ...

, public order, public health and morality, and the rights, freedoms, honor, and reputation of others." There was no explicit ban of censorship.

2000s

Freedom of information legislation was passed in 2003, and was implemented in 2015.

2002

In 2002, A1+ television channel was shut down by the government. After that, 17 media outlets declared that freedom of expression was not in danger in the country. This was a start of an editorial policy of self-censorship, particularly in television and radio. This means that direct censorship is less common because it is not needed. ;2005 Constitution In 2005, a

approved a series of changes to the Constitution. Chapter 2 of the new Constitution of Armenia is dedicated to "Fundamental Human and Civil Rights and Freedoms". Article 27 is dedicated to freedom of expression and of the press: Since 2010, there are no criminal penalties for defamation, but it is still a civil wrong. Politicians, businessman, etc. often ask for huge monetary damage. Treatment of journalists in courts is not always fair, even if the

Constitutional Court A constitutional court is a high court that deals primarily with constitutional law. Its main authority is to rule on whether laws that are challenged are in fact unconstitutional, i.e. whether they conflict with constitutionally established ...

in 2011 ruled that media outlets cannot be held liable for “critical assessment of facts” and “evaluation judgments”.

Since 2010

2015

While there was a reduction of violence against journalists there was a serious episode in June 2015. During the

Electric Yerevan Electric Yerevan, also known within Armenia as No to Robbery ( hy, Ոչ թալանին, ''Voch t'alanin'') protests, were mass protests which occurred in the summer of 2015 against a 17% hike in electricity rates within Armenia. The protests were ...

mass protests, police used a

water cannon A water cannon is a device that shoots a high-velocity stream of water. Typically, a water cannon can deliver a large volume of water, often over dozens of meters. They are used in firefighting, large vehicle washing, riot control, and mining ...

against demonstrators and journalists. At least 14 media operators were injured, and equipment was damaged.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Censorship In Armenia Human rights abuses in Armenia Mass media in Armenia