Rachel Denber, who formerly headed Human Rights Watch’s unit covering post-Soviet countries , has told Hetq that the ongoing problem of government officials calling reporters and the mass media to be held accountable for what they write exists not only in Armenia, but in Russia, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan as well.

She said that in some countries reporters are even criminally charged for what they say and write.

"Our advice is that these cases be decriminalized while at the same time being sure that such civil accountability is within reason," said Denber, adding that this is the very issue now facing Armenia.

She noted that legal suits brought against the media and reporters are quite general in nature and that in some cases the officials, as plaintiffs, are more interested in winning financial compensation than the fundamental aim of upholding their violated rights.

"The media outlet should not suffer inordinately, to the point of shutting down, due to financial compensation. It seems that they aren’t paying attention to this point in Armenia. They are using all their leverage to pressure the media in these civil cases and drive them into financial ruin and closure," said Denber.