CONSTITUTIONAL GUARANTEE NEEDED FOR FREEDOM OF SPEECH?
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| 13:26:54 | 11-06-2005 | Politics |
Does the draft constitutional amendments adopted in the first
reading guarantee freedom of press? Should freedom of press be
fixed in the constitution? Won’t the Presinent’s absolute right of
forming commissions including the NCTR become sword of Damocles
for TV companies. We asked President of the Yerevan Press Club
Boris Navasardyan and chairman of the Associating of Investigatong
Journalists to comment on the issues.
Boris Navasardyan
The Constitution should create guarantees for any democratic institute.
Freedom of speech is not an exception. I think we will have serious
problems with censure during the next several years. It would not
harm if the Constitution excluded any kind censure. Declarations on
freedom of press should be adopted. The acting Constitution empowered
the President to solely form commissions. It refers not only to press
but to any independent body. The right of the parliament to form
various independent commissions should not be ruled out. The role
of the parliament in the formation of National Committee on TV and
Radio should be primary.
Edik Baghdasaryan
There is not a problem of Constitution and law in Armenia. Who said
that the Constitution should guarantee freedom of speech? Is there
need to fix in the Constitution a clause that would fording spiting
in the street or nibbling sunflower seeds? No. Thus freedom of speech
should be clear as it is.
Mher Arshakyan