The international CSO Meter initiative, which monitors the environment for civil society across the EU’s Eastern Partnership countries, has again reported negative developments in Armenia, highlighting restrictions on freedom of expression and concerns over politically motivated prosecutions.
The latest assessment specifically cites the cases of Vahram Sahakyan, Artur Danielyan, and Artur Osipyan as examples of criminal proceedings linked to criticism of the authorities.
CSO Meter raised concerns over the use of criminal legislation against individuals who publicly criticize government officials, warning of potentially disproportionate prosecutions and their chilling effect on freedom of expression.
The initiative also highlighted the continued use of other provisions of the Criminal Code against critical speech, despite the decriminalization of grave insults.
The publication references findings by the Armenian Center for Political Rights, which has criticized the use of criminal legislation against political dissent.
In its previous assessment, CSO Meter lowered Armenia’s freedom of expression score from 4.9 to 4.8 on a seven-point scale.
The latest findings raise further concerns about the protection of civil liberties and the use of criminal proceedings against government critics under Pashinyan’s administration.
