Armenia’s new state secrets law, which came into effect this year, prohibits the disclosure of nearly all defense expenditure data, significantly restricting the country’s 2003 Freedom of Information Act provisions. According to a new report by Transparency International, the law needs urgent reform to ensure transparency and accountability in the country’s defense sector.
The report examines the challenges of transparency in the defense sector globally and makes significant findings regarding transparency issues in Armenia’s defense sector.
Global military expenditure has reached a record $2.4 trillion. The scale of spending requires improved information access to tackle corruption, promote accountability, and strengthen civic participation. The report analyzes defense transparency challenges across five countries: Armenia, Guatemala, Malaysia, Niger, and Tunisia.
Armenia’s defense spending has been substantially high for years, primarily due to the decades-long conflict with Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh, which concluded with significant losses for Armenia. The report provides several key recommendations for Armenia to ensure efficient resource allocation and to increase public trust in defense institutions:
– Reform the access to information law to incorporate harm and public interest tests for information disclosure rather than relying on absolute definitions. This law should take precedence over other information-related legislation.
– Reform the state secret law to remove absolute definitions of classified information and align with the Tshwane Principles. Set clear time limits for classified information and revise the “limited distribution” category.
– Establish an independent oversight body for freedom of information with authority to clarify laws, identify implementation weaknesses, compel disclosure, and conduct investigations.
– Restore the Civic Oversight Platform for defense and security matters to enable civil society participation in defense policy discussions and implementation.
Implementing these reforms would not only strengthen democratic oversight but also help rebuild public trust in defense institutions while maintaining necessary security measures. The recommendations emphasize the critical need to balance national security concerns with public transparency in the country’s defense sector.
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