Armenia
Access to the Internet in Armenia is
largely unfettered, although evidence
of second- and third-generation filtering is mounting. Armenia’s political
climate is volatile and largely unpredictable. In times of political unrest,
the government has not hesitated to
put in place restrictions on the Internet as a means to curtail public protest and discontent.
Background
Located in the heart of the Caucasus region, and situated between Turkey, Georgia,
Azerbaijan, and Iran, Armenia relies on diplomacy in order to overcome political and
economic isolation. Because of its unique geographical situation—and unlike most former Soviet countries—Armenia has traditionally been ethnically and religiously homogeneous. Armenia is a semipresidential republic where the president (currently, Serzh
Sargsyan) holds a substantial amount of power, particularly in the areas of defense
and national security. Like the other CIS republics, Armenia has experienced the hardships of switching from a centrally planned system to a market economy. The landlocked status of this country coupled with poor transportation infrastructure has not
RESULTS AT A GLANCE
Filtering
No Evidence
of Filtering
Suspected
Filtering
Selective
Filtering
Substantial
Filtering
Pervasive
Filtering
Political
Social
Conflict and security
Internet tools
Other Factors
Low
Medium
High
Not
Applicable
Transparency
Consistency
Access to the Internet in Armenia is
largely unfettered, although evidence
of second- and third-generation filtering is mounting. Armenia’s political
climate is volatile and largely unpredictable. In times of political unrest,
the government has not hesitated to
put in place restrictions on the Internet as a means to curtail public protest and discontent.
Background
Located in the heart of the Caucasus region, and situated between Turkey, Georgia,
Azerbaijan, and Iran, Armenia relies on diplomacy in order to overcome political and
economic isolation. Because of its unique geographical situation—and unlike most former Soviet countries—Armenia has traditionally been ethnically and religiously homogeneous. Armenia is a semipresidential republic where the president (currently, Serzh
Sargsyan) holds a substantial amount of power, particularly in the areas of defense
and national security. Like the other CIS republics, Armenia has experienced the hardships of switching from a centrally planned system to a market economy. The landlocked status of this country coupled with poor transportation infrastructure has not
RESULTS AT A GLANCE
Filtering
No Evidence
of Filtering
Suspected
Filtering
Selective
Filtering
Substantial
Filtering
Pervasive
Filtering
Political
Social
Conflict and security
Internet tools
Other Factors
Low
Medium
High
Not
Applicable
Transparency
Consistency