Criminalization of Associating with the Criminal World to be Presented Today

The Minister of Justice of the Republic of Armenia, Rustam Badasyan, announced in a conversation with reporters that on June 27, the ministry will present a bill to the government aimed at criminalizing association with the criminal world.

According to Panarmenian.net, the draft law will criminalize the creation or leadership of a criminal environment, voluntary involvement in criminal activities, and the promotion and dissemination of such subcultures.

"Similar projects have also been developed in the Russian Federation and Ukraine, while, for example, Georgia's criminal code has provided for liability for membership in thieves' unions since 2006, as well as for holding the status of a 'thief in law'," the draft states.

Creating or leading a criminal environment will be punishable by imprisonment for a term of 6 to 10 years, with or without confiscation of property. If the act is committed by a person with the highest status in the criminal hierarchy, the punishment will be imprisonment for 10 to 15 years, with or without confiscation of property.