IT IS ENVISAGED TO INVALIDATE RA CRIMINAL CODE’S ARTICLE 318, INSULTING POWER REPRESENTATIVE
Noyan Tapan
March 19, 2008
YEREVAN, MARCH 19, NOYAN TAPAN. On March 19, the RA National Assembly
in the first reading discussed the bill authored by the deputies of the
Orinats Yerkir (Country of Law) faction, which proposes invalidating
Article 318 of RA Criminal Code adopted on April 18, 2003. The article
envisages liability for insulting a power representative.
According to the authors, power representatives are ranked
higher than ordinary citizens by the above mentioned article,
therefore the principle of everybody’s being equal before the law
is violated. Besides, that article has been repeatedly considered
imadmissible by both Armenian and international experts. The
conclusion of the government and the NA profile commission on the
bill is positive.
According to Article 318, RA Criminal Code, insulting a power
representative publicly, connected with his fulfilling his official
duties, is punished by a fine in the amount of 100 thousand – 500
thousand drams or arrest of maximum a month. Repeating the same action
is punished by a fine of 300 thousand – 1m drams (nearly 3250 USD)
or by imprisonment of maximum one year.