Bringing the Bill to Parliament Will Undermine Freedom of Speech and Environmental Security

The member of the Parliamentary faction of the Prosperous Armenia Party, Naira Zohrabyan, stated on her Facebook page: "Do not bring this bill to the parliament. By doing this, you will undermine freedom of speech and the environmental security of the country."

The statement was made regarding the announcement by the Armenian national platform of the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum on the draft law amending the Law of the Republic of Armenia on Freedom of Information.

On April 2, 2020, the Government of Armenia adopted a draft law amending the Law on Freedom of Information, which will soon be presented to the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia.

According to the draft, "Provision of information regarding the environment may be denied if it may have a negative effect on the environment, including on the breeding grounds of rare species." From the very first day of the bill's circulation, civil society has raised prominent concerns regarding this initiative, calling on the authors of the bill, the Ministry of Environment of Armenia, to refrain from this confidentiality-imposing provision.

Specifically:

• The proposed initiative contradicts the Aarhus Convention. In the justification of the bill, the authors refer to the Convention, misquoting and selectively choosing passages (Article 4, Point 4, Sub-point h). The Convention discusses limited information that can solely pertain to breeding grounds of rare species. However, the formulation of the draft implies that any information related to the environment can be restricted.
• Based on this restriction, it follows that any information related to the environment requested by journalists or civil society may be denied if this department considers it to have a negative impact.
• The bill has been crafted without the involvement of representatives from civil society operating in the sector, and until now, proper public discussions around it have not been organized.
• This amendment violates the principle of transparency adopted by the Government of Armenia and limits the accessibility of environmental information and public oversight.

In light of the above, we, as members of the Armenian national platform of the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum, which unites over 230 NGOs, demand that the Government of Armenia immediately revoke the draft and refrain from presenting it to the National Assembly for further discussions, since it does not comply with the demands arising from domestic legislation regulating freedom of information and international obligations.