Armenian government criticised for attempting to change law on wartime media censorship

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has called on the Armenian government to remove articles in a draft law allowing authorities to restrict access to websites and the internet during wartime in an open letter from the KeepItOn coalition of press freedom and human rights groups.

A bill draft was circulated for public comment in December last year. As reported, the bill would allow the authorities to temporarily block websites, applications and social media networks and restrict internet access in the country under martial law conditions. It also enables the government to intervene in television and internet broadcasts for information dissemination. However, it did not specify any limitations on the authorities’ ability to do so or any means of appeal for those affected.

During the 2020 Armenia-Azerbaijan war, a temporary government decree banned the publication of reports criticising the state’s actions and blocked many websites and the social media app TikTok. This draft law is expected to provide such legal justifications for these blocks in the future.