The Armenian National Assembly adopted in the first reading a bill making animal cruelty a criminal offence at a regular session on Monday.

The draft law was authored by lawmakers from the Prosperous Armenia opposition faction.

The bill was passed by a vote of 74 to 11, with 17 abstentions.

Prosperous Armenia MP Naira Zohrabyan hailed the measure as one of the most important draft laws passed by the parliament ever.

“Thanks to all those who backed the bill. And rest assured that even if one day people forget a good deed of yours, animals never do,” she wrote on her Facebook page.