The Human Rights Defender of the Republic of Armenia and the Yerevan Office of the Council of Europe jointly organized a workshop dedicated to strengthening communication between state institutions and the media in the context of combating hate speech in the public sphere. The workshop aimed to create a platform for constructive dialogue to identify existing problems in the field and promote cooperation between state bodies and the media, drawing on the best European practices.
Speaking about hate speech, Human Rights Defender Anahit Manasyan emphasized that hate speech is one of the most dangerous phenomena not only in Armenia but also worldwide. "It becomes the basis for numerous problems and crimes. It targets a person's religious, national, ethnic origin, gender, gender identity, and so on. I must note with regret that it is quite widespread in our country," Manasyan stated.
The head of the "Center for International and Comparative Law," Siranush Sahakyan, also participated in and addressed the workshop. Issues such as the role of equality bodies in the fight against hate speech, the challenges of interaction between media representatives and state structures in the context of excluding hate speech from the public sphere, and ensuring the coverage and communication of sensitive topics by the media were discussed.
The Minister of Justice, Srbui Galyan, spoke about the draft law "On Ensuring Equality and Protection against Discrimination," training for law enforcement and sector specialists, as well as work aimed at raising public awareness. She emphasized the need to apply practical measures, in the context of which the Ministry of Justice is in the process of developing a comprehensive strategic document on protection against discrimination, which will be aimed at introducing appropriate legislative and practical mechanisms in the field.
During the first panel discussion of the workshop, Human Rights Defender Anahit Manasyan, Minister of Justice Srbui Galyan, founder and head of the "Article 3" club Gayane Abrahamyan, and head of the news program of Public Radio of Armenia Liana Yeghiazaryan addressed issues of strengthening communication between state structures and the media, discussed European standards and best practices, and touched upon various issues related to hate speech.
During the second panel discussion, Member of the National Assembly Tigran Parsilyan, Chief of Staff of the Human Rights Defender Nina Pirumyan, Siranush Sahakyan, and head of the Yezidi Center for Human Rights Muraz Shamoyan discussed issues related to the coverage and communication of sensitive topics by the media in the context of preventing hate speech and discrimination.
According to the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Armenia, the workshop served as a platform for state bodies and the media to identify existing problems in the field through dialogue and reduce manifestations of hate speech.