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AFTER EURASIAN DEAL, FREE EXPRESSION FEARS IN ARMENIA
Institute for War and Peace Reporting, UK
IWPR CRs #766
Feb 3 2015
Membership of Russian-led bloc could mean restrictions on free speech.
By Arpi Harutyunyan
Supporters of free speech in Armenia fear that the country's accession
to the new Eurasian Economic Union could restrict the free flow
of information.
Armenia joined the union when it came into being at the beginning
of January. The other members are Russia, Belarus and Kazakstan,
with Kyrgyzstan expected to join shortly.
According to a copy of Armenia's accession agreement posted on the
economy ministry's website, member states cannot import, export or
distribute material prohibited in other bloc states. Furthermore, the
agreement bans the "distribution of printed, audio and visual materials
liable to harm the political and economic interests of member states,
their national security, or the health and morals of their citizens."
This wording is part of the terms of trade and customs regulations
that bind the new economic grouping.
Before Armenia joined, its own customs rules determined what could
or could not be brought into the country.
Under the Eurasian Economic Union agreement, restrictions include
the loose concept of member states' "political interests".
Suren Deheryan, head of Journalists for the Future, an Armenian press
freedom organisation, is concerned that the restriction will be used
to silence critics.
"This implies that imports of Western press and literature to the
Eurasian Economic Union should be prohibited, since such material
often contains criticism of the [bloc states'] political elite,"
Deheryan said.
Even before Armenia joined the union, critics said accession could
undermine the country's sovereignty. President Serzh Sargsyan insisted
there was "no danger" to Armenia's independent status. (See Armenia's
Eurasian Deal: Sell-Out or Fair Trade? )
For some, those fears have now been realised.
In December, Armen Martirosyan, head of the Antares printing company,
attended a conference on the Eurasian Economic Union in St Petersburg,
where he raised questions about what membership would mean for the
publishing industry.
"I was told that the Eurasian Economic Union was a purely economic
union and that cultural matters were unrelated," Martirosyan said.
"But in reality they are connected. It turns out that the Eurasian
Economic Union is not purely an economic union; it is gradually
expanding into other areas."
The editor of the Yerevan Press Club, Heriknaz Harutyunyan, believes
that the Eurasian treaty violates basic human rights and may have
significant consequences not only for dissemination of information
but also on the freedom of movement across borders.
"The ban on the distribution of such prohibited information may
prevent any one of us from leaving the country, for example to travel
Yerevan-Moscow-London," Harutyunyan told IWPR. "Any absurd pretext
may be cited as a breach of the ban, for example, carrying an ordinary
music CD."
Not everyone thinks the restrictions will go that far. Deheryan
believes it unlikely that things will reach a point where people
travelling in and out of Armenia need authorisation to carry a book
or a magazine in a suitcase. But he thinks the agreement could still
have far-reaching consequences, particularly as it might pave the
way for moves to muzzle voices critical of the government.
"If we talk about dissent, Russia has already started blocking
websites and blogs that offer alternative opinions, and it has done so
unashamedly, using dozens of amendments to existing legislation as well
as new laws adopted in 2014," Deheryan said. "Since Russia has taken
control of the content of Runet [Russian domain names] and feels at
liberty to shut down any content that for some reason is inconsistent
with or contrary to law, then why not do the same at customs controls?"
An annex to the Eurasian agreement also bans other kinds of content,
including Nazi propaganda and symbols, justifications of terrorism,
pornography and even election campaign materials deemed illegal in
any of the four states.
Martirosyan said the ban was unconstitutional and would have major
ramifications for his company and the material it publishes. He gave
the example of a book about the 2008 Russian-Georgian war by former
US State Department staffer Ronald Asmus, called A Little War that
Shook the World.
"We have published Asmus's book and it is now on sale, but according to
the new restrictions we cannot export it to another country because
this runs contrary to the interests of Russia," he said. "That's
absurd."
Martirosyan also questioned the ban on Nazi symbols, particularly
as the ancient swastika remains a common symbol of eternity or God
in Armenia, and appears in several churches such as the 13th-century
Noravank Monastery.
"If someone in Italy publishes a book about Noravank, will it be
impossible to import it to Armenia?" Martirosyan asked.
Ara Shirinyan, director of the Yerevan-based television company
Shoghakat, said the restrictions were comparable to those of the
Soviet era, although in the modern internet age they were by and large
meaningless and could not be enforced. However, he is concerned that
the new law has implications for wider political freedoms in Armenia.
"It may give the authorities an additional lever to persecute political
opponents and individuals," Shirinyan said.
Arpi Harutyunyan is a freelance journalist in Armenia.
3 Feb 15
https://iwpr.net/global-voices/after-eurasian-deal-free-expression-fears-armenia
Institute for War and Peace Reporting, UK
IWPR CRs #766
Feb 3 2015
Membership of Russian-led bloc could mean restrictions on free speech.
By Arpi Harutyunyan
Supporters of free speech in Armenia fear that the country's accession
to the new Eurasian Economic Union could restrict the free flow
of information.
Armenia joined the union when it came into being at the beginning
of January. The other members are Russia, Belarus and Kazakstan,
with Kyrgyzstan expected to join shortly.
According to a copy of Armenia's accession agreement posted on the
economy ministry's website, member states cannot import, export or
distribute material prohibited in other bloc states. Furthermore, the
agreement bans the "distribution of printed, audio and visual materials
liable to harm the political and economic interests of member states,
their national security, or the health and morals of their citizens."
This wording is part of the terms of trade and customs regulations
that bind the new economic grouping.
Before Armenia joined, its own customs rules determined what could
or could not be brought into the country.
Under the Eurasian Economic Union agreement, restrictions include
the loose concept of member states' "political interests".
Suren Deheryan, head of Journalists for the Future, an Armenian press
freedom organisation, is concerned that the restriction will be used
to silence critics.
"This implies that imports of Western press and literature to the
Eurasian Economic Union should be prohibited, since such material
often contains criticism of the [bloc states'] political elite,"
Deheryan said.
Even before Armenia joined the union, critics said accession could
undermine the country's sovereignty. President Serzh Sargsyan insisted
there was "no danger" to Armenia's independent status. (See Armenia's
Eurasian Deal: Sell-Out or Fair Trade? )
For some, those fears have now been realised.
In December, Armen Martirosyan, head of the Antares printing company,
attended a conference on the Eurasian Economic Union in St Petersburg,
where he raised questions about what membership would mean for the
publishing industry.
"I was told that the Eurasian Economic Union was a purely economic
union and that cultural matters were unrelated," Martirosyan said.
"But in reality they are connected. It turns out that the Eurasian
Economic Union is not purely an economic union; it is gradually
expanding into other areas."
The editor of the Yerevan Press Club, Heriknaz Harutyunyan, believes
that the Eurasian treaty violates basic human rights and may have
significant consequences not only for dissemination of information
but also on the freedom of movement across borders.
"The ban on the distribution of such prohibited information may
prevent any one of us from leaving the country, for example to travel
Yerevan-Moscow-London," Harutyunyan told IWPR. "Any absurd pretext
may be cited as a breach of the ban, for example, carrying an ordinary
music CD."
Not everyone thinks the restrictions will go that far. Deheryan
believes it unlikely that things will reach a point where people
travelling in and out of Armenia need authorisation to carry a book
or a magazine in a suitcase. But he thinks the agreement could still
have far-reaching consequences, particularly as it might pave the
way for moves to muzzle voices critical of the government.
"If we talk about dissent, Russia has already started blocking
websites and blogs that offer alternative opinions, and it has done so
unashamedly, using dozens of amendments to existing legislation as well
as new laws adopted in 2014," Deheryan said. "Since Russia has taken
control of the content of Runet [Russian domain names] and feels at
liberty to shut down any content that for some reason is inconsistent
with or contrary to law, then why not do the same at customs controls?"
An annex to the Eurasian agreement also bans other kinds of content,
including Nazi propaganda and symbols, justifications of terrorism,
pornography and even election campaign materials deemed illegal in
any of the four states.
Martirosyan said the ban was unconstitutional and would have major
ramifications for his company and the material it publishes. He gave
the example of a book about the 2008 Russian-Georgian war by former
US State Department staffer Ronald Asmus, called A Little War that
Shook the World.
"We have published Asmus's book and it is now on sale, but according to
the new restrictions we cannot export it to another country because
this runs contrary to the interests of Russia," he said. "That's
absurd."
Martirosyan also questioned the ban on Nazi symbols, particularly
as the ancient swastika remains a common symbol of eternity or God
in Armenia, and appears in several churches such as the 13th-century
Noravank Monastery.
"If someone in Italy publishes a book about Noravank, will it be
impossible to import it to Armenia?" Martirosyan asked.
Ara Shirinyan, director of the Yerevan-based television company
Shoghakat, said the restrictions were comparable to those of the
Soviet era, although in the modern internet age they were by and large
meaningless and could not be enforced. However, he is concerned that
the new law has implications for wider political freedoms in Armenia.
"It may give the authorities an additional lever to persecute political
opponents and individuals," Shirinyan said.
Arpi Harutyunyan is a freelance journalist in Armenia.
3 Feb 15
https://iwpr.net/global-voices/after-eurasian-deal-free-expression-fears-armenia