OSCE media freedom representative expresses concern over growing number of libel lawsuits in Armenia

VIENNA, 10 November 2011 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Dunja Mijatović, in a letter to Armenia’s Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian expressed concern today over the growing number of libel suits filed against Armenia’s news outlets, and called upon the authorities to further reform the legislation to adequately protect the media in civil defamation cases.

“I welcomed decriminalization of defamation in Armenia in May 2010 as a significant step toward ensuring a media-friendly environment. Regretfully since then, almost 30 civil defamation lawsuits have been brought against newspapers, including 11 this year,” Mijatović said.

“In most cases, the compensation sought is out of proportion to the damage allegedly inflicted.” Mijatović stressed that compensation awarded in civil libel lawsuits should be proportional to actual damages and should not lead to the closure of a news outlet, which would “result in limiting press freedom”.

Among others, Mijatović was referring to a lawsuit filed against the Hraparak newspaper by a lawyer seeking more than €34,000 in damages for allegedly slanderous readers’ comments posted on the periodical’s website. A court in Yerevan on 8 November ordered that the newspaper’s property be seized pending a decision on the case.

In her letter to Minister Nalbandian, she said her Office is ready to assist Armenia in further reforming its media legislation and promoting freedom of the media. As an example, she referred to a training seminar organized in Yerevan on 1 November by the OSCE, to help familiarize Armenian judges with international best practices in defamation cases. “I hope this initiative will help contain the wave of libel suits filed against Armenian media,” Mijatović underlined.