Activity Details (ID# 7519)

Activity Synopsis

The objectives of the Seminar were to present the European standards concerning freedom of expression and the right to respect for private life and the interest of self-regulation in this field. 

Mr Abovian, Deputy Minister of Justice, opened the Seminar and emphasised the rights and responsibilities of journalists.

Mr Hamlet Gasparian, Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Representative of the Republic of Armenia to the Steering Committee on Mass Media, also addressed the meeting.

During the first session, Mr Tomlinson presented an overview of the European Court of Human Rights case law relating to freedom of expression and the right to respect for private life.

Mr Mkrtumian, Chairman of the civil chamber of the Court of cassation, reviewed the Articles of the Constitution and of the Civil Code which protect private life. He stated that there have been few civil cases regarding privacy, reputation or human dignity and explained that this was probably due to the substantial training which has been provided for journalists. He concluded by wondering whether it would be useful to create a self-regulation body.

Mrs Amirkhanian gave examples of court cases and discussed the efficiency of Article 144 of the Criminal code to remedy breaches of privacy.

Following the first session, the usefulness of introducing moral damages in the Law in cases of violation of respect for private life was discussed.

The second session was dedicated to the role of self-regulation. Mrs Safarian, while recalling the legal framework of the protection of privacy, indicated that boundaries for freedom of expression have to be defined by journalists themselves.

Mr Harutyunyan discussed the implications for individuals, in the cultural and political Armenian context, of unveiling private information and called on the responsibility of journalists and editors when deciding to publish information. The advantages of self-regulation were underlined.

Mr Pinker shared with the participants his experience as a member of the Press Complaint Committee of the United Kingdom and a chairman of the Media Council of Bosnia and Herzegovina. He explained the functioning of these two bodies, gave examples of the decisions taken by them and defined pre-conditions to establish a self-regulatory system.

The opportunity of drafting a code of conduct and creating a media self-regulatory body was discussed. In general, participants were in favour of such initiatives. It was mentioned that journalists, editors as well as owners of newspapers and TV should be involved in these proceedings and that informal discussions with the Judiciary could be helpful for the success of this enterprise. Finally, some participants expressed the view that, to be a longstanding success, the creation of such a self-regulatory body should not be too hasty.
 

The workshop was highly appreciated by the participants and the Council of Europe Media Division could usefully organise seminars or round-tables on the same topics in order to assist the Armenian media to put an effective self-regulatory system in place. 

Journalists 

Mr Hugh Tomlinson, Barrister, London UK
Professor Robert PINKER, member of the Press Complaint Committee of United Kingdom and chairman of the Media Council of Bosnia and Herzegovina
 

Ms Charlotte de Broutelles, Media Division, Directorate General of Human Rights