Babajanian Introduces Draft Bill Penalizing the Dissemination of False Information

Deputy Arman Babajanian announced on his Facebook page that on December 2, he introduced a draft law in the National Assembly entitled "On Amending the Criminal Code of the Republic of Armenia," which proposes the addition of a new Article 325.1 to the Criminal Code of the Republic of Armenia.

This article would regulate criminal liability for disseminating false information. Specifically, under the first part of the article, the dissemination of false information and the solicitation of someone else to disseminate false information for personal gain would be punishable by detention for a maximum of two months or imprisonment for up to two years. The second part of the same article proposes a penalty of detention for a maximum of two months or imprisonment for up to two years for spreading false information for the purpose of obtaining material benefits. However, a person committing the crime under the second part of this article would be released from criminal liability if they voluntarily reported the crime to law enforcement agencies and assisted in the investigation within three days of committing the offense.

Babajanian explained that the motivation for his initiative to amend the Criminal Code stems from the current political realities in Armenia, which are expressed through a global problematic phenomenon such as "fake news." Especially after the Velvet Revolution of 2018, the dissemination of false and manipulative information has become an inseparable part of our political and media life. "Fake news" has turned into a tool for discrediting political opponents and settling scores, which is becoming increasingly prevalent. Therefore, it is necessary to provide legislative regulation for this issue, which, of course, will not completely neutralize the effect of "fake news," but will at least have a restraining significance for those who use false information as a political method.