ACCORDING TO DAVID HARUTYUNIAN, IT IS NOT ALWAYS THAT OVERTHROWING OF CONSTITUTIONAL ORDER REPRESENTS USURPATION OF POWER

Noyan Tapan

Feb 10, 2009

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 10, NOYAN TAPAN. The second sitting of the working
group, which was set up for developing a bill on amendments and
additions to Articles 225 and 300 of the RA Criminal Code, was held
on February 10.

The group’s head, chairman of the National Assembly Standing
Committee on State and Legal Issues David Harutyunian presented his
own proposals and those made by NA deputy Artsvik Minasian regarding
amendments and additions to Articles 225 and 300. In particular, it is
proposed separating the notion "usurpation of power" from the notion
"overthrowing of constitutional order". According to D. Harutyunian,
it is not always that the overthrowing of constitutional order
represents usurpation of power. He proposed separating the notions
"to seize power" and "to keep power" in the article "Usurpation of
Power". It was also proposed that a person who voluntarily informed law
enforcement bodies about the seizure of power shall not be subjected
to criminal responsibility.

A. Minasian proposed that the expression "usurpation of state power"
should not be used. He also discussed the articles on keeping power
by violence and an attempt to seize power.

As NT was informed by the National Assembly PR Department, the members
of the working group and the parliamentary ad hoc committee on inquiry
into the March 1-2 events in Yerevan and their reasons, as well as the
experts present at the sitting presented their opinions and proposals
on the envisaged amendments to the indicated articles.