ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS ABOUT THE REVISED
DRAFT CONSTITUTION

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13-07-2005

On July 7, 2005, the RA authorities sent the revised draft
constitution to the Venice Commission and on August 29 a NA special
session will be convened to discuss the draft.

Several non-governmental organizations have made announcements about
the revised draft constitution. Among them are the Yerevan Press Club,
the Armenian Union of Journalists, the non-governmental organization
`Internews’, the Committee defending free speech right, the
non-governmental organization `Investigating Journalists’, the
investigating center `Tim’, and the `Asparez’ club of journalists of
Gyumri.

The announcement of the non-governmental organizations refers
especially to a point according to which the RA National Assembly is
to appoint the embers of the body regulating the work of the e-Media.

According to the announcement, the corresponding clause of the revised
draft constitution which has been sent to the Venice Commission, does
not give the best solution of the issue of freedom and independence of
the Mass Media and does not fully express the principles of `agreed
conclusions’.

It is also mentioned in the announcement that the Constitution must
include a clause prohibiting any form of censor. It calls the National
Assembly to include the offered clauses in the draft which will be
represented for the second reading.