Proposal to Create a Working Group Against Hate Speech Adopted Unanimously

Independent MP Arman Babajanian stated during a meeting of the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Protection of Human Rights and Public Affairs that fake news should be viewed as no less of a threat than hate speech.  “Our state is being undermined from within not only by hate speech but also by fake news. These are parallel threats. The state's resilience is significantly affected by fake news,” he said.

The discussion on the issue turned into a disagreement at one point within the committee. When members of the My Step faction emphasized that the working group against hate speech should particularly protect vulnerable groups in society, Naira Zohrabyan expressed surprise as to why political figures should not be included in that group.

“If the purpose of the working group is to address specific vulnerable groups, the Prosperous Armenia faction should consider how it will vote. We believed that the objective was entirely different — to regulate hate speech in general,” Zohrabyan said.

The proposal to create a working group against hate speech was adopted unanimously. The working group will be chaired by Member of Parliament Sargis Khandanayan from the Standing Committee on Protection of Human Rights and Public Affairs.