YEREVAN. - Constitutional Court of Armenia rejected Human Rights Defender Karen Andreasyan’s application and did not recognize 1087.1 article of the Civil Code anti-constitutional.

Human Rights Defender had turned to the Constitutional Court asking to reconsider whether the article on libel and defamation corresponds to the Constitution or not.

The Court examined the application on Tuesday but did not recognize it anti-constitutional.

Chairman of the Court Gagik Harutyunyan presented only the conclusion of the verdict. However, he stated that judges on casting the verdict should take into account financial means of the media, as well as should have no intentions to make them go bankruptcy.

It is noteworthy that Andreasyan himself had presented amendments in the legislature last year and now was arguing on whether the article corresponds to the Constitution or not. According to Andreasyan, application of the article leads to a disproportionate restriction on speech freedom. As a result it puts further activity of some media into danger.

Chief specialist of the legal department of the Parliament Ani Mkhitaryan considered the application baseless and asked the Court to reject it.

Many lawsuits were filed against media, demanding huge amounts of compensation, after the law on libel and defamation was decriminalized last year.