Armenia is considered to be a country with free internet, as per the Freedom House report entitled ‘Freedom on the Net 2016.’
Freedom House determines the level of freedom on the Net with scores from 0 to 100, 0 meaning completely free internet. 65 countries were assessed according to three parameters: obstacles to access, limits on content and violations of user rights.
Pursuant to the report, the ”Internet freedom remained largely uninhibited in the past year, though Armenia’s overall score declined somewhat after police physically attacked journalists livestreaming protests in Yerevan.”
Specifically, it is mentioned that the past year in Armenia was marked by periods of civil unrest and escalation of Karabakh conflict. Among other things, Freedom House recalls the constitutional referendum, ” which critics say would allow President Sargsyan to serve beyond his second term in office,” as well as the war in Karabakh and takeover of the police station in Armenia by Sasna Tsrer armed group.
”While Armenians are generally free to express themselves online without restriction or fear of sanction, some incidents of censorship occurred during and after the coverage period, coinciding with the periods of violence and unrest. Facebook was briefly restricted in July 2016 while armed militants were challenging the authorities, and netizens were pressured to self-censor as violent clashes briefly resumed on the Nagorno-Karabakh frontline. However, historically the internet has remained relatively free in Armenia, with gradual improvements in infrastructure and accessibility connecting more of the population. Activists regularly use social media as a tool to promote their causes, and opposition and independent media flourish online,” the report reads.
