Lawmakers from Armenia’s ruling Civil Contract faction have voted down an opposition drafted-bill calling for criminalization of statements questioning the territorial integrity of the country.

The legislation would make it a criminal offence to make any statement questioning the territorial integrity of Armenia or to publicly justify such claims.

At a parliament session on Wednesday, opposition Hayastan faction MP Aram Vardevanyan, one of the co-authors of the bill, deplored the rejection of the draft law by pro-government MPs after Civil Contract faction MP Hayk Konjoyan announced his team’s intention to vote against it.

Introducing the bill on Tuesday, he claimed that the new measure “will be aimed at prosecuting persons outside the territory of Armenia and not letting such statements made by them go unanswered.”

The bill was not passed with 30 votes in favor, 63 against and 1 abstention.