Mikael Grigorian: "Criminal liability for slander and insult of state official does not infringe upon freedom of speech in Armenia"

Criminal prosecution for slander and insult of a state official and a judge does not infringe upon freedom of speech in Armenia. The head of the group for working out a new Criminal Code of the Armenian Republic Mikael Grigorian expressed this opinion at the round-table meeting in Yerevan which was devoted to the advocacy of freedom of speech.

The head of the international organization "Article 19" Julia Apostle noted that there was no clear explanation of the concepts "slander" and "insult" in the Criminal Code of Armenia and that could cause the prosecution of journalists for their position in one or another issue.

The new Criminal Code of Armenia came into force on August 1, 2003. The clauses 135, 136 and 318 of this law provide criminal liability for slander and insult of a state official and a judge.