Your trusted source

The right to freedom of expression continued to be unduly restricted in Armenia in 2021, Amnesty International said in its annual Report 2021/22.

“The government introduced several legislative amendments curtailing independent media and other critical voices,” the human rights group noted.

“In March, the National Assembly increased the maximum fine for insult and defamation to AMD 6 million (approximately US$12,000). In August, another set of legislative amendments criminalized insulting public figures, making repeated insults punishable by up to three months’ imprisonment.

“In September, police opened a criminal case under this new law against a Facebook user for insulting the prime minister in a comment under a photo featuring him,” the report said.

Amnesty International stated that the Armenian authorities continued the prosecution on “trumped-up charges” of human rights defender Sashik Sultanian in retaliation for his criticism of the treatment of the Yazidi ethnic minority in Armenia.

“An investigation into his alleged incitement of national hatred had been opened in October 2020, after he published an online interview on problems faced by the ethnic Yazidis. His trial started in August and was ongoing at the end of the year. If convicted, he could face three to six years in prison,” it said.