Updates

The law draft addresses most of the recommendations of the CSO Meter report, but a few problematic provisions remain.

The draft addresses key CSO Meter recommendations. However, a mandatory contract between the volunteer and the host organisation - even for short-term volunteers - remains an issue.

The draft amendments would allow the government to partially or fully block access to internet and censor information and social media in times of war.

This Action Plan includes several commitments that are expected to contribute to the civil society enabling environment in Armenia through addressing issues in freedom of information, public participation, public communication and data management.

New Criminal Code will not include provision on liability for grave insult, adopted last year.

The event addressed trends in the environment Armenian CSOs operate in and identified possible directions of improvement.

The report finds that while an enabling legal framework for public participation is generally in place, there is considerable room for improvement when it comes to practical implementation.

The platform is a step forward and provides more transparency, but its effectiveness is yet to be seen.

The Court recognized a controversial law increasing fines for defamation as compliant with the Constitution.

The new amendments are a step back from decriminalising defamation.

On July 2, the Ministry of High-Tech Industry of Armenia submitted draft amendments to the Government decisions for public discussion. These amendments suggest limiting the scope of information pro-actively provided to the public on the e-gov platforms.

Amendments to the Law on Normative Legal Acts were adopted but failed to improve public participation opportunities.