Armenia enacts criminal penalties for calls to renounce sovereignty

Armenia's parliament has adopted amendments to the Criminal Code, providing for real prison terms for violent acts aimed at renouncing or restricting sovereignty.

Some 59 MPs voted for the bill, while 31 MPs abstained from voting, Caliber.Az reports, quoting Armenian media.

On May 2, Deputy Justice Minister Levon Balyan presented the draft amendments to Armenia's Criminal Code.

According to him, the current code only defines criminal liability for overthrowing the constitutional order and calls for violence.

Acts aimed at the forcible denial, partial or total restriction of Armenian sovereignty through the use or threat of force will be criminalised.

The punishment will be 10-15 years, for public appeals - from a fine to imprisonment for up to three years.

Earlier, Armenian Justice Minister Grigor Minasyan said that international documents, in particular the jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights, refer to restrictions on the right to freedom of expression in the context of protecting state security.

Such a restriction is recognised as "legitimate and lawful", Minasyan said.