Advancing Democratic Culture in Armenia
Freedom House works in Armenia to create spaces for dialogue among civil society, the government, policymakers, journalists, and the public to combat disinformation and defend democracy and fundamental freedoms.
Call for Applications: Building Resilience to Disinformation and False Narratives in Armenia
Freedom House invites applications for funding from locally registered non-governmental organizations and coalitions based in the Republic of Armenia that seek to raise awareness of disinformation and its impact on democratic development and human rights.
Call for Applications: Human Rights-Based Approaches to Media Work in Armenia
Freedom House invites applications for funding from locally registered non-governmental organizations and coalitions based in the Republic of Armenia that aim to advance the development of a human-centered and human rights-based approach to media work.
Eurasia Program:
Advancing Democratic Culture in Armenia
The unchecked spread of disinformation in Armenia takes advantage of existing societal vulnerabilities and threatens the fragile process of democratic reforms. Freedom House seeks to help Armenian civil society, the public and the government develop a common vision for a democratic Armenia.
Entitled Advancing Democratic Culture in Armenia, this Freedom House project creates spaces for dialogue among civil society, the government, policymakers, journalists, and the public. Through research and analysis, support for grassroots initiatives, media literacy activities, advocacy, and convenings, Freedom House and partners aim to identify best practices to address disinformation in order to defend democracy and human rights in Armenia.
Current Partners:
Key Initiatives
Featured Events
Freedom House engages with leading experts, representatives of local civil society, and the government to facilitate public discussions on the most pressing and controversial issues facing Armenian democracy and human rights.
Toward Information Integrity: Rising to Current Challenges in Armenia’s Information Space
On November 25-26, 2021 Freedom House organized a regional stakeholder meeting in Yerevan, "Toward Information Integrity: Rising to Current Challenges in Armenia’s Information Space." The event featured participation from local civil society and government representatives including the head of the Yezidi Center for Human Rights, Sashik Sultanyan, Chargé d’Affaires of the US Embassy in Armenia, Chip Laitinen, and Freedom House's director of Europe and Eurasia Programs Marc Behrendt. The discussion was facilitated by Freedom House's Project Specialist, Andranik Shirinyan, and highlighted the challenges facing civil society in the country surrounding disinformation and freedom of speech.
Boundaries Between Information, Disinformation, and Confidentiality in Matters of National Security: What is Media Terror?
On May 18, 2021, Freedom House Armenia hosted an event discussing the current state of disinformation in the media, the boundary of information and disinformation as it pertains to national security and the definition and the use of the term "media terror" in the current discourse within Armenia. The event included a panel of several prominent members of local civil society as well as representatives from the Armenian Human Rights Defender's office and the Public Relations and Information Center SNCO under the Office of the Prime Minister.
- Watch the event recording
- Download a detailed summary in English
- Download a detailed summary in Armenian
Current Narratives on the Correlation of Democracy, Human Rights and Security in Post-War Armenia: True or False?
Freedom House engages with leading experts, representatives of local civil society, and the government to facilitate public discussions on the most pressing and controversial issues facing Armenian democracy and human rights. On February 11, 2021, Freedom House Armenia hosted an event titled "Current Narratives about the Correlation of Democracy, Human Rights and Security in Post-War Armenia: True or False?" The event featured the participation of several prominent members of local civil society as well as the Armenian Human Rights Defender Arman Tatoyan and Freedom House's director of Europe and Eurasia Programs Marc Behrendt. The discussion was facilitated by Freedom House’s Project Coordinator Sossi Tatikyan and emphasized the danger of disinformation after the war, as well as the link between democracy, human rights, and security and the importance of continued democratic progress in Armenia.
- Watch the event recording
- Download a detailed summary in English
- Download a detailed summary in Armenian
Program Publications
Disinformation and Misinformation in Armenia: Confronting the Power of False Narratives
Freedom House Armenia’s new report calls attention to the severity, complexity and shape of disinformation narratives circulating in the country, and assesses the risks they pose to democratic development. The report analyzes major narratives across four topics that have circulated in Armenia: democracy and civil society, the COVID-19 pandemic, the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War, and social and cultural issues. The report calls on the state, media, civil society and international partners to strengthen their responses to these vulnerabilities, with particular attention toward building sustained resilience.
News & Perspectives on Armenia
Freedom House Condemns Azerbaijani Attacks on Armenia, Calls for Diplomacy
Press release
September 14, 2022
NEW REPORT: Regional Autocrats Exploiting Instability, Expanding Power from Central Europe to Central Asia
Press release
April 20, 2022
Armenia: Authorities Must Drop Charges against Yezidi Human Rights Defender and Protect Freedom of Speech
Press release
August 3, 2021
Azerbaijan: Allow Human Rights Court to Investigate Reports of Detainee Torture
Press release
May 11, 2021
NEW REPORT: Attacks on Democracy Intensify as Autocracy Spreads in Europe and Eurasia
Press release
April 28, 2021
