AMENDMENTS ENVISAGED IN CURRENT LAW ON ENSURING SECURITY OF PERSONS SUBJECT TO SPECIAL STATE PROTECTION

Noyan Tapan
March 17, 2008

YEREVAN, MARCH 17, NOYAN TAPAN. The RA National Assembly on March 19
discussed in the first reading the bill envisaging an amendment and
an addition to the RA Law on Ensuring Security of Persons Subject to
Special State Protection.

In the words of the main speaker, justice minister Gevorg Danielian,
the purpose of the government-submitted bill is to regulate the
relations connected to renunciation of the right of state protection
by retired president of the RA, as well as by state officials,
public, political, religious and other figures entitled to state
protection. The bill proposes stipulating that objects of state
protection may renounce state protection by informing the head of
the state protection service about it in writing.

The president, the speaker of the National Assembly and the prime
minister are an exception: according to the current law, during their
term of office, they have no right to renounce state protection. A
retired president of the RA, who, by the law, is provided with
lifelong personal state protection, also has the right to renounce
state protection.

G. Danielian said that the bill also regulates the obligations of
employees of the authorized body ensuring security of state protection
– in case of offences committed by state protection objects. The
bill envisages that in case of offiences committed by an object
of state protection, except the RA president, NA speaker and prime
minister, employees of the authorized body ensuring security of state
protection have to inform immediately the object that his/her state
protection may not be continued as illegal actions are being taken
by the object. Besides, the head of the group implementing state
protection has to immediately report the head of the authorized body
about expediency of further protection.

According to G. Danielian, if an object of state protection continues
taking illegal actions, then with the authorized body’s permission,
state protection employees have the right to stop protection of the
object and refrain from taking an indirect part in illegal actions
or from protecting the person taking illegal actions.