Armenian officials behind nearly half of media violations in 2025, watchdog says

Nearly half of the violations against journalists and media outlets in Armenia in 2025 were committed by senior government officials and other members of the ruling party, according to a press freedom watchdog.

Ashot Melikyan, chairman of the Committee to Protect Freedom of Expression, said at a news conference on Monday that pressure on journalists and media organizations increased this year, with 224 violations recorded, up from 208 in 2024.

The violations included 15 cases of physical violence, 108 instances of other forms of pressure, and 10 cases involving restrictions on access to or dissemination of information. While overall pressure increased, Melikyan noted that violations related specifically to access to information declined compared with the previous year.

He said conflicts between journalists and officials were often exacerbated by breaches of professional ethics by some media representatives, which contributed to the overall rise in violations.

Melikyan also pointed to deepening polarization within Armenia’s media landscape, particularly during coverage of political events, calling it a persistent negative trend highlighted in international reports. He said the spread of fake and manipulative content, insults, and defamation has fuelled a growing number of court cases.

According to the committee, 63 lawsuits were filed against journalists and media outlets in 2025, compared with 43 in 2024. Most involved defamation claims, while two were related to copyright issues. About half of the lawsuits were initiated by government officials, despite European Court of Human Rights standards urging politicians to avoid such litigation, especially cases involving high financial claims.

Courts ruled in favor of plaintiffs in 15 cases, ordering media outlets to issue retractions and pay a combined total of 3.3 million drams. Twenty-one cases were dismissed and six were dropped.

Melikyan said 45 cases of insults and obstruction of journalistic work were recorded in 2025, 33 of which involved government officials. He named National Assembly Speaker Alen Simonyan and ruling party MPs Andranik Kocharyan and Vilen Gabrielyan among those cited for inappropriate conduct toward journalists.

Of the 15 cases of physical violence against journalists documented this year, seven were attributed to law enforcement officers and seven to pro-government actors. One case—the assault on journalist Hakob Karapetyan—remains unsolved.

Melikyan also criticized the disproportionate force used during the detention of opposition podcast co-hosts Narek Samsonyan and Vazgen Saghatelyan, adding that he had joined a statement by journalists condemning the arrests.