RA JUSTICE MINISTER:IF YOUR DOG BITES A PASSER-BY, YOU WILL HAVE TO
BEAR RESPONSIBILITY FOR THAT

Yerevan, July 13. ArmInfo. RA Justice Minister David Haroutiunian
suggested to make a number of amendments in the current Administrative
Code of Armenia. He informed the journalists about this today, when
representing the initiative to make amendments to RA Administrative
Code. He said that the suggested amendments are conditioned by the
life and the court practice. He meant the unfair court verdicts that
were taken because of the drawbacks in the laws.

In particular, he stated that according to the current law, the
parents should bear responsibility for the damage made by a child
under 14, if it isn’t proved that the damage was made because of the
parents. The minister suggests to exclude this part, i.e. the parents
should always be responsible for the actions of children under 14.

The same thing concerns the educational or other institutions in
which charge the children are of. In the given case that institution
is as responsible, as the parents are. The next amendment concerns
the owner of an object in case of making a harm. The minister brought
the example when an upper neighbor pours you with water. "According
to the current legislation, the responsibility should bear the one
who makes the damage, i.e. the water. We suggest to make the owner
of the property bear responsibility," he said. Besides, the owner
of the animal that bit someone should also bear responsibility for,
notwithstanding whether the animal escaped, was lost or is in the
charge of another man.

The minister also touched upon the so-called sources of special danger
that include the transport, the electricity lines, etc. In this case,
the owners should bear responsibility, if it isn’t proved that the
damage was made because of the suffered side. The owners also should
make compensations, if it is proved that the sources went out of
control without the awareness of the owner, for example, the sources
were stolen. In these cases, the owner is responsible, if the owner
didn’t take relevant measures to return his property. At the same
time, if the object is given to another person on legal grounds, the
owner is still responsible. For example, if you trusted your car to
someone who ran over a passer-by, the owner of the car is responsible
for the incident. The minister also touched upon the amendments in
the Criminal Code.