Armenia’s National Assembly Standing Committee on State and Legal Affairs has rejected a draft law proposed by the opposition Hayastan alliance, which sought to tighten legal responsibility for the denial of the Armenian Genocide under the Criminal Code.
The proposal aimed to amend Article 136 of Armenia’s Criminal Code, adopted on May 5, 2021, to state: “Public denial, trivialization, approval, justification, or minimization of the danger of the Armenian Genocide, as well as of genocides or crimes against humanity recognized by the Republic of Armenia or internationally, shall be punishable by a fine ranging from 100 to 300 times the minimum monthly wage, or by 150 to 250 hours of community service, or by restriction of liberty for up to three years, or by short-term imprisonment from one to two months, or by imprisonment for up to four years.”
Main rapporteur Artsvik Minasyan said the bill was rooted in the logic that legal protections around genocide recognition must be strengthened within Armenian legislation. He pointed to numerous cases where individuals deny the Armenian Genocide.
In response, Committee Chair Vladimir Vardanyan, acting as co-rapporteur, stated: “No one in Armenia has denied the Armenian Genocide, is denying it, or will deny it. The Armenian Genocide is part of the collective memory of each of us.”
Vardanyan argued that there is no threat of genocide denial in Armenia and that such offenses are already broadly criminalized under existing law. He recommended that the committee not support the bill.
The proposal received a negative conclusion and was rejected.
