On July 30 RA Government opposed the draft law “On Introducing Amendment and
Supplements to the RA Law ‘On Mass Communication’”. As it has been reported,
the draft law was suggested by RA NA deputy Victor Dallakian and submitted to
the National Assembly on July 6, 2009. The author of the draft proposes, in
particular, to supplement the Law with provisions determining the rights and
obligations of journalists. The draft was criticized by a number of journalistic
organizations and RA Human Rights Defender Armen Harutiunian. Particularly,
in the letter of July 22 to RA National Assembly Chairman Hovik Abrahamian,
Armen Harutiunian emphasized that the main provisions of the draft contravene
the Article 10 of the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights
and Fundamental Freedoms, assuring the freedom of expression, as well as the
case law of the European Court of Human Rights. Overall, the ombudsman considered
the draft to be “unacceptable and indigent to improvement” (see YPC Weekly Newsletter,
July 17-23, 2009).
