Decriminalizing Defamation In Armenia
The Republic of Armenia decriminalized libel and insult laws in an attempt to regulate relations between the media and public officials. The amendments to the country’s Criminal and Civil Codes abolish criminal liability for defamatory statements and set pecuniary compensation for victims of libel and insult.
Armenia’s Large Civil Defamation Fines For The Media
The amendments to the law decriminalized libel but had drastically toughened financial penalties for such offenses.
By way of illustration, an Armenian court has recently denied an appeal of a local newspaper defendant which was imposed a fine of $16,200. The case stems from a “Haykakan Zhamanak” article published in October 2010 that implicated three government-linked businessmen to criminal activity. It was based on claims made by Smbat Karakhanian, a Moscow-based Armenian opposition figure.PREVIOUSBACK TO INT’L DEFAMATION DATABASE HOMENEXT