«Joghvorout». Calls for Violence Criminalized: Who Will Be the Targets?

«Joghvorout» newspaper reports that today the National Assembly will discuss a draft law presented by the government to amend the Criminal Code of the Republic of Armenia, which aims to add a new provision that criminalizes public calls for violence, as well as publicly justifying or promoting violence.

Specifically, the amendment states: "Public calls for violence against an individual or a group of individuals based on sex, race, skin color, ethnic or social origin, genetic characteristics, language, religion, worldview, political or other beliefs, belonging to a national minority, property status, birth, disability, age, or other personal or social circumstances will be punished by a fine from fifty to one hundred times the minimum wage, or by detention for up to two months, or by imprisonment for up to one year."

Moreover, if these acts are committed by a group of individuals with prior consent or by an organized group or using an official position, a stricter punishment is foreseen. Responsibility is also provided in cases where the call for violence is public and has a specific target.

While it is certainly commendable at first glance that the authorities are attempting to criminalize calls for violence, it is crucial to ensure that these changes do not become a tool for the government to oppress and silence opposition figures or the press.

For instance, for the existence of this proposed crime, calls for violence must be public, and therefore, such phenomena could also be interpreted through interviews or published thoughts of certain figures in the media. The question arises: who will be targeted by this proposal?

For more details, refer to the newspaper’s current issue.