Human Rights Defender on Types of Forbidden Speech by Officials

All those who believe that professional and academic communities, as well as officials, should enjoy greater freedom in terms of speech and should be more tolerant of them, including in cases of using types of forbidden speech, have a mistaken understanding of the system of morality, ethics, and behavioral rules. This was stated by the Human Rights Defender of Armenia.

“These rules imply much greater vigilance regarding speech, and failure to adhere to them may lead to disciplinary liability. At the same time, it is unacceptable to argue that any type of speech that violates the aforementioned rules could lead to criminal liability. One must be extremely cautious when applying instruments of criminal liability to speech, particularly when it involves depriving individuals of their freedom,”