AT THE SITTING OF THE WORKING GROUP

National Assembly of RA
Feb 17 2009
Armenia

On February 16 the regular sitting of the working group for drafting
the law on making amendments and addenda in Articles 225 and 300 of RA
Criminal Code was held.The sitting was presided over by the Chairman
of the RA NA Standing Committee on State and Legal Affairs and the
head of the working group Mr Davit Harutyunyan.

Mr Harutyunyan said that as an alternative, two versions of the Article
300, "Usurpation of Power," of the Criminal Code would be presented.

With the Article 225, "Mass Disorders," the organization of group
actions, expressing and threatening the public security accompanied
with violence, pogroms, arson, destroying or damaging the property,
using gun, explosive substances or devices or showing armed resistance
to the representative of the power, is punished by imprisonment.

Mr Davit Harutyunyan said that the working group would submit the last
version of the amendments to the NA President, after which discussions
will be organized with the coalition forces. He hopes that the last
version will be debated in the first reading at the coming sitting
of the parliament. Mr Harutyunyan believes that a possibility will
be created for the experts of the Venice Commission also to present
remarks and conclusions.

The members of the working group and the Ad-hoc Inquiry Committee into
the Events Occurred on 1-2 March 2008 in Yerevan and Their Reasons of
the National Assembly also touched upon the articles of usurpation
of power, public appeals of violation of territorial integrity,
organizing and holding a public event with the violation in the
procedure prescribed by law.