Naira Zohrabyan describes NA vice speaker’s bill on fines for defamation unprecedented shame, sends observations to Venice Commission and PACE Human Rights Commissioner

The bill presented by the vice speaker of Armenia’s parliament Alen Simonyan on making changes in the Civilian legislation is unprecedented disgraceful bill, PAP deputy Naira Zohrabyan said at a briefing today.

The bill offers up to 6 mln AMD fine for defamation and up to 2 mln AMD for offence.

“This bill is directed to silence the free speech in Armenia and not at all against defamation and offence. If the authorities want to eliminate offence, defamation, hate speech, cursing in Armenia, it will just demand two-minute time from Nikol Pashinyan – the power-backed fake industry is closed and you will see that people in Armenia will breathe more freely and the hate speech will vanish,” Naira Zohrabyan said.

The deputy said the bill is a direct pressing on politicians and citizens and added that she has sent her observations to the Venice Commission, PACE Human Rights Commissioner and other organizations.