Activities and responses of working group on reform of hate speech legislation

Criminal Code, which provides for criminal liability for public calls for violence, public justification, or propaganda of violence65 . Yet in 2020, cases of hate speech based on sexual orientation and gender identity were registered.

Activities and responses of working group on reform of hate speech legislation

The formation of a working group on the reform of anti-hate speech legislation was welcomed by civil society. The criterion for inclusion in the group was five-year work and research experiences related to hate speech. The non-governmental organizations and experts who met that criterion were involved in the work of the group. Accordingly, the involvement of non-governmental organizations and individuals who did not have experience and relevance were rejected. This decision received a heated response from the National Assembly Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP) faction, whose deputies refused to join the group, commenting that it was formed with a differentiated approach and considering that it would be good if the group included even organizations with different goals for their statutory purposes. They noted that if the group includes organizations such as Pink and the Women’s Resource Center, then NGOs with “national orientation” should also be involved.

In an interview with one of the media outlets, the following was presented anonymously as the position of the PAP faction, “Having nothing against the group members, we can say that only the inclusion of the mentioned NGOs testifies the direction they will try to take when defining the hate speech in Armenia. In other words, it is already clear that the definitions will be directed and targeted exclusively at the rights and cases of sexual minorities, but not, for example, in social networks, calls for violence, hatred, curses, and imprecations against former and current political opponents (in the name of justice, both sides)”66 . Prosperous Armenia Party’s MP Gevorg Petrosyan, not refraining from discriminatory and hate speech, expressed the following position in various interviews, “When we, along with friends from our party faction, demanded that an equal number of representatives from all stakeholders be included in the so-called working group condemning that hate speech, they immediately refused because unfortunately there were mainly representatives of one party who are interested in making Armenia a so-called open society, I don’t know, or to introduce perversions or whatnot and this side that should have defended the traditional values, the members of that side should have introduced themselves with

Khandanyan proposed to create a working group which would be involved in fight against speech of hatred directed to the reforms of the RA Legislation. http://www.parliament.am/news.php?cat_ id=2&NewsID=12494&year=2019&month=12&day=16&lang=eng. 65 The RA Law on Making Amendments to the RA Criminal Code. https://www.arlis.am/DocumentView. aspx?docid=141919. 66 Hraparak Daily. Anush Dashtents. “Pink”, “Women’s Resource Center” and Soros’ Office are Included in the National Assembly working group. 2020. https://hraparak.am/ post/04ead0e61bd604b10a7e40e0db55c244. [Accessed 29 Sept 2021]. Irates.am. Sevak Vardumyan. The fight against hatred and NGOs promoting gender equality. 2020. http:// www.irates.am/hy/1580456022. [Accessed 29 Sept 2021].