YEREVAN, OCTOBER 18, ARMENPRESS. Freedom House published its “Freedom on the Net 2022: Countering the Authoritarian Overhaul of the Internet” annual report where Armenia is in the list of “free” countries.

This year Armenia scored 74 points, whereas last year it had 71 points.

The report covers the period from 1 June 2021 to 31 May 2022.

“In Armenia, domestic and international civil society groups combined public condemnation with private advocacy to persuade the government to repeal a criminal defamation clause that was originally passed in July 2021. The legislation, which criminalized serious insults of government officials and public figures, was invoked throughout the year to prosecute users who shared critical commentary, especially about Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. Civil society activists aired their concerns in private meetings with diplomats and in Armenian news outlets, and their objections were then cited in a formal appeal to the Constitutional Court. Government officials agreed to exclude the provision from a new criminal code that took effect in July 2022, and committed to broad consultation with nongovernmental groups when developing media-related laws in the future”, the report says.