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The Armenian legislation contains no separate provisions to tackle the spread of online falsehoods and fakes, lawyer Lusine Virabyan told a press conference on Friday, speaking of the Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan’s recent initiative and instructions to the country’s National Security Service.

At the cabinet meeting on Thursday Pashinyan said some “criminal circles spend millions to manipulate the public opinion in media and on social media networks” which to him is an issue of national security. The PM instructed the Chief of the National Security Service to address the matter. Pashinyan, however, noted the proposed actions should in no way endanger the guaranteed rights of the freedom of speech and information.

The lawyer reminded that the phenomenon is relevantly new in the Armenian reality, and the legislation still needs to respond to it though developing respective mechanisms.

“We have respective bills in the Civil and Criminal Codes, however no separate provisions dealing with disinformation or manipulation of information against statehood and national security exist. The legislation obviously needs amendments and supplements,” Virabyan added.

Speaking of the international practice of combating fakes, Virabyan said no common approach is developed and additional research and studies are needed.