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The Freedom of Information Center of Armenia (FOICA) has released its 2022 blacklist of officials, who, it claims, violated the people’s right to access information from state agencies.

They either provided baseless or incomplete answers, illegal denials or left requests unanswered.

Armenia’s Defense Minister Suren Papikyan is on the blacklist, which also includes Chairman of the National Security Service (NSS) Armen Abazyan, Governor of Shirak Province Nazeli Baghdasaryan and Yerevan Mayor Hrachya Sargsyan.

The blacklist includes heads of central, local governments, other state institutions or heads of organizations of public importance that:

• Do not respond to information requests.

• Respond to information requests after the deadlines set by Armenia’s Law On Freedom of Information expire. (While the “Law on Freedom of Information” defines a timeframe of five business days to respond to written inquiries, FOICA allows an additional four busines days to allow time for postal delivery. Thus, a response is considered in violation of deadline if it is not received within nine business days after sending the information request.)

• Do not provide proper justifications for denying a request.

• Provide incomplete or false information.

• Define and/or charge illegal fees for providing information.

• Cite improper information sources.

• Do not properly publish information subject to mandatory publication in due times, in accordance with the law.