The right to culture is defined as a fundamental human right both in the RA constitution and in a number of RA laws regulating the sphere of culture. Thus, Article 3 of the RA Constitution stipulates: “In the Republic of Armenia, a person is the highest value. The inalienable dignity of a person is the inseparable basis of his rights and freedoms. The respect and protection of basic human and citizen rights and freedoms are the responsibilities of public authorities. Public authority is limited to the basic rights and freedoms of man and citizen as a directly applicable right[1].
The Basic Law on the Fundamentals of Cultural Legislation of RA, adopted in 2002, is the fundamental law from which all other laws and legal decisions on cultural issues derive and its Article 1 claims “to ensure and protect the constitutional right of citizens of the Republic of Armenia to freedom of speech, creativity, and participation in the cultural life of society”[2]. Article 9 of this Law defines the right to participate in cultural life and to carry out cultural activities for every person, “regardless of his nationality, race, gender, language, religion, beliefs, social origin, property or other status” and Article 10 addresses the right to carry out creative activity for everyone, both professionals and non-professionals. Article 11 defines the right to communicate cultural values in all spheres of cultural activity, libraries, museums, archives of the Republic of Armenia and other collections. And Article 12 claims the right to receive an education in Humanities and Arts and to choose the forms and means of education, without age restriction. Article 13 defines the right to expose and export the results of creative activities and Article 14 addresses the right to create cultural organizations. The Law also defines the cultural rights for foreign citizens and stateless persons, which states: “Foreign citizens and stateless persons in the territory of the Republic of Armenia have equal rights and undertake equal obligations with the citizens of the Republic of Armenia in the field of cultural activities, except for the cases defined by law and international agreements.” The Law also regulates the relationships between the state and ethnic minorities in the sphere of culture: “The Republic of Armenia supports the preservation and development of the cultural identity of the national minorities living in its territory, through the implementation of state programmes, contributes to the creation of conditions for the preservation, dissemination and development of their religion, traditions, language, cultural heritage, culture”.[3]
The main responsibility for realizing the right to culture is considered to be the authorized state body of the Republic of Armenia represented by the Ministry of Education and Culture of the Republic of Armenia and its subordinate NGOs and other organizations.
[1] See: https://www.arlis.am/documentview.aspx?docID=102510
[2] See: http://www.irtek.am/views/act.aspx?aid=19304
[3] See: https://www.arlis.am/documentview.aspx?docID=69109
Comments are closed.