On June 23-24 in Tsaghkadzor “Freedom of Expression and the Right to Respect for Private Life” seminar was held. The event was organized by Yerevan Press Club, the Media Division of the Directorate of Human Rights of the Council of Europe and “Femida” NGO. The seminar brought together representatives of public, also journalistic organizations, media, executive and judicial powers of Armenia, the Council of Europe, international structures. At the opening of the seminar the RA Deputy Minister of Justice Ashot Abovian, the Spokesman of the RA Ministry of Foreign Affairs Hamlet Gasparian and the Administrative Officer of the Media Division of the CE General Directorate of Human Rights Charlotte de Broutelle.
A presentation on the Council of Europe standards regarding freedom of information and the respect for private life was made by a barrister of Matrix Chambers of London Hugh Tomlinson. The Chairman of the Civil Cases Chamber of the RA Court of Cassation Arman Mkrtumian told how the Armenian legislation protects privacy, whereas the head of “Femida” NGO Julietta Amirkhanian described the Armenian court precedents related to interference with privacy.
The second part of the seminar was devoted to media self-regulation issues. The limits to freedom of expression in the context of privacy protection were defined by the Legal Expert of Internews Armenia public organization Olga Safarian. YPC Expert Mesrop Harutiunian spoke about the link of the between the legal and ethical norms of privacy protection. The experience of media self-regulation in other CE member countries, by the example of the United Kingdom and Bosnia and Herzegovina was presented by a member of UK Press Complaint Commission, the Chairman of the Media Council of Bosnia and Herzegovina Robert Pinker.
