Yerevan court weighs expert opinion in CivilNet defamation case against mayor

By Gevorg Tosunyan

An Armenian court on Wednesday examined whether a media oversight body’s opinion could be admitted as evidence in a defamation lawsuit brought by CivilNet’s parent foundation against Yerevan Mayor Tigran Avinyan over a televised remark that the outlet says was directed at it.

The Civilitas Foundation, which is the parent organization of CivilNet, filed suit after Avinyan said during a December 2024 Factor TV debate that “the media here has become one big garbage dump.” Civilitas argues the statement targeted CivilNet in retaliation for an investigation it published with the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) alleging that a company owned by Avinyan’s family benefited from state programs he oversaw as deputy prime minister.

At Wednesday’s hearing, Civilitas lawyer Karen Tonoyan asked the court to admit an expert opinion issued in June by the Information Disputes Council, a non-governmental panel that serves as an amicus curiae. The Council concluded that Avinyan’s controversial phrase was aimed specifically at CivilNet.

Tonoyan said the opinion was submitted late only because it became available after the original deadline. “The Council’s role is to protect free speech, access to information and dignity by providing expert analysis. Armenian courts and even the European Court of Human Rights have previously cited its opinions,” he told the judge.

Avinyan’s lawyer, Vahagn Gasparyan, objected, arguing that Civilitas had acted in bad faith by failing to request an extension of the deadline and that submitting evidence in this way violated the principle of adversarial proceedings. He also questioned whether the request to the Council had been properly filed.

Judge Tigran Grigoryan ruled that the court could accept the late evidence if justified and said Avinyan’s side would be given time to study it and respond. The hearing was adjourned until October 14.

Civilitas is asking the court to order Avinyan to apologize on live television and for the ruling to be published on Factor TV’s website. It is not seeking damages.

In a separate case, Avinyan has sued CivilNet for defamation, demanding a retraction and 3 million drams (about $7,500) in compensation over the same investigative article.