Your trusted source

During the parliamentary debates on the candidates for a judge of the Court of Cassation Civil Chamber on Thursday, Armenian National Assembly Speaker Alen Simonyan raised the issue of disproportionate penalties imposed by courts in defamation cases.

"There are many rulings in connection with defamation and insults. Even in case of guilty verdicts, judges avoid awarding large compensation sums," he claimed.

“It's not about putting the defendant in a tough situation, but the amount awarded does not even reimburse the plaintiff's court expenses, including the lawyer's services, state duties and others," Simonyan said.

According to the speaker, there are many such cases, including on the basis of lawsuits filed by him, when the courts set a minimum threshold.

"Unfortunately, my cross is probably heavy, there is almost no case in Armenia that I don't have anything to do with," Alen Simonyan said.