Prohibition on the Spread of Content Promoting Violence and Cruelty in Armenia

The Republic of Armenia will legally prohibit the dissemination of content aiming to violently overthrow the constitutional order, as well as the promotion of violence and cruelty, and foreign television and radio programming interfering in Armenia's domestic political life. This was stated by the Minister of High-Tech Industry, Mkhtiar Hayrapetyan, noting that the draft law on amendments and additions to the Law on Audiovisual Media was approved at the government meeting on December 25.

The draft proposes to review and clarify the prohibitions on the misuse of audiovisual broadcasts by defining more specific cases of their application. In particular, the law will prohibit the dissemination of content aimed at violently overthrowing the constitutional order, promoting war, or promoting violence and cruelty.

The amendments also aim to establish a new provision prohibiting the dissemination of content that interferes with Armenia's domestic political life in foreign audiovisual programs. The legal bases, criteria, and mechanisms for the suspension and revocation of licenses for network operators have also been clarified in the draft. Additionally, the requirements related to the activities of audiovisual program distributors have been reviewed and edited. Changes and additions have been made in the section regarding fines, specifically concerning cases of operating in violation of the law. A new article has been added that regulates the procedure for suspending and revoking the license of a network operator.

The proposed changes and additions will enhance the mechanisms for regulation and control in the audiovisual media sector, increasing the applicability and practical effectiveness of the law. With the adoption of the draft, ambiguous interpretations will be prevented, ensuring a predictable legal environment for entities operating in the sector. Equal competitive conditions will be established, providing fair competition, preventing abuses of monopoly positions, and reducing the risks of creating unequal conditions in the market.

“At the same time, the changes aim to limit information negatively affecting citizens, allowing the prevention of the spread of disinformation, violence, hate speech, and other harmful content,” the minister noted. Legal mechanisms for information protection will be established, enabling the mitigation of external influences on Armenia's information space, ensuring control and accountability in line with national security.