Press release

YEREVAN, 19 June 2003 - In an open letter sent today to the Speaker of the Armenian National Assembly, the OSCE Office in Yerevan raised concerns about libel and slander provisions in the country's new Criminal Code.

The new Code provides imprisonment for up to three years for libel and Article 318 of the Code stipulates up to two years of imprisonment for an insult of a representative of authority, which is even more than in the case of insulting an ordinary citizen.

"The position of the OSCE on this matter is clear: libel laws should not be included in the Criminal Code in the first place", said Ambassador Roy Reeve, Head of the OSCE Office. "Should there be a provision, it should not include imprisonment as a punishment. Secondly, there should not be more protection for a representative of authority in case of insult. All citizens are equal.".

The open letter represents a joint statement by members of the Informal Media Legislation Working Group, co-ordinated by the OSCE Office. The Group includes key international and national organizations active in the field. The letter is also supported by a number of embassies of OSCE participating States in Armenia and the London-based non-governmental organization, Article 19, which deals with freedom of expression.

In the letter, the OSCE Office and the other signatories expressed a willingness to co-operate with the Armenian authorities to address this issue.