Legislation
Laws
The Law of the Republic of Armenia on Press and Mass Media
Chapter 1 . General Provisions
Article 1. Press and Mass Media
For the purposes of the law, press and mass media (PMM) shall refer to papers, magazines, official bulletins, journals and periodicals, published in quantities of more than 100 copies at a time, as well as television an radio broadcasts and cinema newsreels, which are periodically produced, and other news and information, publicly released, in accordance with this law.
Pmm shall be founded and distributed by editorial boards, news agencies, publishing houses, other institutions which issue mass media, and citizens (henceforth ,issuers of mass media").
An issuer of mass media may be a legal person and may possess the necessary means, property, and printing facilities for its operation.
This law shall not apply to publications of legislative and other acts of the bodies of state power and government.
Article 2. Freedom of PMM
In the Republic of Armenia (RA), PMM are free and shall not be subject to censorship.
The citizens of RA shall have the right to express their views and opinions and to receive reliable and timely information of each issue of public importance via PMM.
In the RA, no monopoly shall be allowed.
Article 3. The principles of PMM
PMM shall be guided by the law of RA, by the principles of equality, philanthropy, dissent, tolerance, respect, freedom of conscience, and other universal values; they shall promote openness and democracy, freedom of through, speech and diversity of opinion.
Article 4. Right to Receive Information
PMM shall have the right to acquire information from all governmental, public, sociopolitical organizations and their leaders 1 if releasing information does not violate the By-laws of the organization or Article 6 (abuse of expression).
PMM may also receive information from individual citizens.
Article 5. Language of PMM
In the RA language of PMM shall be Armenian. mass media shall be prepared and distributed in Armenian, and upon the proposal of founder and with the permission of the PMM agency, also in other languages.
PMM must care for the purity of the mother tongue.
National minorities in the RA shall have a right to receive, prepare and distribute news in their native tongues, according to the procedure set forth in this law.
Article 6. Unacceptability of Abuse of Freedom of Speech
PMM shall not be permitted to publish information containing state secrets, a list of which shall be established by the Council of Ministers.
False and unverified news reports, as well as news which advocate war, violence, ethnic and religious hostility, prostitution, drug abuse or other criminal acts shall not be published. Without the permission of the citizen, the secret of adoption and details of the private life of the citizen shall not be published.
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