YEREVAN, DECEMBER 29, ARMENPRESS. Human Rights Defender Kristinne Grigoryan expressed concern over the Justice Ministry’s drafted legislation that would empower the government to block access to news websites and social media during declared martial law.

Grigoryan said in a statement that she is concerned that the bill did not pass a proper public and specialized discussion, furthermore the bill doesn’t envisage a preliminary consultation in the future.

The restrictions envisaged in the bill would “restrict human rights, mostly the right to freedom of expression and opinion and right to information”, the Ombudsperson said.

Citing studies of precedent decisions of the European Court of Human Rights, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Promotion and Protection of the Right to Freedom of Opinion and Expression, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights reports and other international legal documents, Grigoryan concluded that the regulations envisaged in the bill are “concerning in terms of human rights, particularly they could lead to the disproportional restriction of the right to freedom of expressing opinion and right to information.”

Furthermore, Grigoryan noted that the bill doesn’t specify the cases when the restrictions would be imposed, its terms and guarantees, oversight mechanisms, as well as which government agency will be in charge of implementing the functions.

Grigoryan called on the authors of the bill to involve experts and professionals to amend the controversial provisions in the bill.