Armenia bans foreign TV programs with 'signs of interference'

The Armenian Parliament, in its second and final reading, has approved amendments to the Law 'On Audiovisual Media,' introducing a ban on the broadcast of foreign programs with 'signs of interference' in the country's internal affairs on public television.

'The draft will grant the state regulatory body the authority to establish indicators of calls to war, as well as interference in Armenia's internal affairs. According to the adopted amendments and changes, cases of prohibition of audiovisual programs will be established, and the transmission of materials interfering in internal affairs will be banned,' stated Mkhitar Hayrapetyan, the Minister of High-Tech Industry of Armenia, during a committee meeting.

On February 3, during the discussion of this draft at a meeting of the Parliament's Standing Committee on Science, Education, Culture, Diaspora, Youth, and Sports, Hayrapetyan noted that interference in Armenia's internal affairs could include statements made on air aimed at directly or indirectly influencing internal processes, including the formation of power structures or the conduct of elections and referendums. Additionally, according to Hayrapetyan, the regulation could apply to non-independent media outlets that were created, funded, or edited by a foreign state or an organization associated with it. Analytical programs based on facts and not containing evaluative judgments, in the minister's opinion, may not fall under the scope of the amendments to the law.

Previously, Armenian authorities had already expressed support for reducing the broadcast of Russian TV in the republic, criticizing the analytical programs being aired. In April 2024, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated that if Russian TV channels disrespect Armenia's internal life, their broadcasting would be banned. On July 1, 2025, the Speaker of the Armenian Parliament, Alen Simonyan, said that the issue of terminating the broadcast of Russian TV channels in the country needed to be discussed.

In Armenia, Russian TV channels are retransmitted through public broadcasting.

Source: TASS