Under a relevant bill drafted by the Interior Ministry, the requirement would apply to private entities occupying at least 50 square meters of commercial space. Ministry officials have said that this would make it easier for the police and other law-enforcement agencies to combat street crime.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian’s cabinet approved the bill early this year despite its negative assessment by the Justice Ministry’s Personal Data Protection Agency. The latter warned of “significant risks to the security of personal data” and a “disproportionate restriction” of citizens’ right to privacy. Armenia’s Central Bank, human rights ombudswoman as well as civil society organizations and opposition groups voiced similar concerns.
Deputy Interior Minister Arpine Sargsian dismissed those concerns before the Armenian parliament passed the bill in the first reading in June. Sargsian argued that the mandatory CCTV cameras would not lead to privacy violations because they would be installed in public places. Nevertheless, the government seemed in no rush to push the bill through the parliament in the second and final reading.
The Interior Ministry announced on Monday that it has withdrawn the bill from the National Assembly for now because the Armenian public lacks a “broad consensus on this initiative aimed at its own security.” In a statement, it expressed readiness for further discussions with critics of the proposed measure.
The announcement came less than two weeks after Human Rights Watch (HRW), a U.S.-based watchdog, said the measure is “unjustified and interferes with privacy and other rights.”
“Mass surveillance in public spaces would have a chilling effect on fundamental civil and political rights,” said Giorgi Gogia, HRW’s associate director for Europe and Central Asia.
Armenia’s crime rate has risen considerably since the 2018 “velvet revolution” that brought Pashinian to power. There has been a particularly sharp increase in drug trafficking cases. They more than doubled last year, according to law-enforcement authorities. The Armenian police's record on fighting against these and other crimes has been criticized by not only opposition lawmakers but also some of their pro-government colleagues.