RA NA IN SECOND READING AND COMPLETELY ADOPTS BILL ON MAKING AMENDMENTS AND ADDENDA TO LAW ON HOLDING MEETINGS

NOYAN TAPAN
June 11

YERE VAN, JUNE 11, NOYAN TAPAN. On June 11, the RA National Assembly
with 84 votes for, 6 against, and 1 abstained adopted the bill
authored by parliament Speaker Tigran Torosian, which envisaged making
amendments and addenda to the law On Holding Meetings, Gatherings,
Marches and Demonstrations. The members of the Zharangutiun (Heritage)
faction and independent deputy Viktor Dallakian voted against.

The requirement of Venice Commission’s reconsidering the amendments and
addenda made to the law by NA on March 17, under state of emergency,
was also stipulated by well-known Resolution N 1609 adopted during
the PACE spring session.

After the voting the parliament continued the discussion of draft
decision On Creating an Ad Hoc NA Commission for Study of Events in
the City of Yerevan and Their Reasons that started the day before. The
draft decision proceeds from another demand of the above mentioned
Resolution. According to it, the tasks of the commission to be
created will be to clear up the used violence, as well as legality
of Police actions, circumstances of death of perished people, to
present proposals on political, legal, and other solutions excluding
recurrence of such events.

The commission will be formed from two deputies from each NA faction
and one deputy not included in them. The commission will also
have a right to involve proper specialists and experts, including
international ones, as well as will send an invitation to Levon
Ter-Petrosian and extra-parliamentary political forces to be determined
by the commission to take part in its proceedings with the right of
consultation vote. The commission is to report about the results of its
activity until October 25 at the NA sitting by presenting a conclusion.