At a session of the Parliament’s Standing Committee on State and Legal Affairs, Artsvik Minasyan, secretary of the Hayastan faction, presented a draft bill amending the Criminal Code to introduce new penalties for denial and trivialization of the Armenian Genocide and other internationally recognized genocides, Armenpress reports.
Under current law, genocide denial is punishable only if it is carried out with the intent to incite hatred or violence on racial or national grounds. Minasyan stressed that this is insufficient.
“There are numerous cases where individuals, by denying the genocide, indirectly try to diminish the crime or portray victims as guilty instead of the perpetrators. Unfortunately, the existing regulations do not ensure accountability for such actions,” he said.
He reminded that Armenia’s Declaration of Independence commits the state to promoting international recognition of the Armenian Genocide, and these amendments derive from the interests of protecting national identity and statehood.
The bill stipulates that denial, minimization, approval, or justification of the Armenian Genocide or similar crimes shall be punishable by:
- a fine,
- community service, or
- imprisonment for up to 4 years.
If these acts are committed with the intent to incite hatred, discrimination, or violence on racial, national, or religious grounds, the penalty would increase to 4–8 years’ imprisonment.
Furthermore, if committed via mass media, information technologies, or abuse of official authority, harsher penalties will apply—10–15 years’ imprisonment along with a ban on holding certain positions for up to 5 years.
