A1+

NO AMENDMENTS WITHOUT CONSULTING MASS MEDIA FIRST
[03:30 pm] 15 December, 2006

«A few months away from the forthcoming parliamentary elections, the
Assembly attaches special importance to pluralism of the electronic
media and the reform currently in progress, since equitable access to
the electronic media by all political parties is an absolute
prerequisite for the holding of free and fair elections», says the
Provisional version of the draft resolution «Honouring of obligations
and commitments by Armenia».

The Assembly has noted that «the revision of the constitution has
paved the way for greater independence of the bodies which regulate
the electronic media. Nonetheless, legislative amendments subsequently
drawn up by the government without first consulting media or Council
of Europe representatives have met with strong criticism, not least
concerning the membership of the National Television and Radio
Commission (NTRC) and the method of appointment of its members. The
Assembly urges the Armenian authorities to consult the Council of
Europe’s experts and take into account their recommendations before
adopting amendments to the broadcasting legislation».

The Assembly also calls on Armenia to adopt an open, transparent
process of appointment of members of the Public Television and Radio
Council, as recommended by the Venice Commission.

«Apart from reforming the legislation, the Armenian authorities must
take steps to ensure the freedom and pluralism of public television
and radio on a day-to-day basis».

With regard to the print media, which are reputed to be free and
pluralist but play only a minor role in the provision of public
information on account of their small circulation, the Assembly notes
with satisfaction that no criminal libel proceedings have been
instituted against journalists for some years now. Since the reform of
the Criminal Code in 2004, libel has been punishable by a prison
sentence only in the event of a repeat offence. The Assembly welcomes
this progress and encourages the Armenian authorities to decriminalise
libel completely and repeal Article 318 of the Criminal Code, which
establishes the offence of "insulting a representative of the public
authorities".