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At March 15 sitting of the RA NA Standing Committee on State and Legal Affairs, the package of draft laws on Amending the RA Criminal Procedure Code and on Making Amendments and Addendum to the RA Criminal Procedure Code authored by the Government was debated in the first reading.

The RA Deputy Minister of Justice Arpine Sargsyan has noted that the package of draft laws proposes to make three main amendments, as a result of which the investigation of criminal cases of tortures and electoral crimes will be ensured by an independent body in terms of subordination of the state bodies.

According to the Deputy Minister, in accordance with the current Criminal Procedure Code, cases of torture are tried by the Investigation Department of the National Security Service (NSS), which, however, contradicts a number of international standards, in which it reads that an investigative body should be elected which has higher guarantees of independence both institutionally and functionally in order to investigate such crimes.

Taking into account the above-mentioned circumstances, the NSS cannot try such cases.

Therefore, it is proposed to consider the RA Investigative Committee as such an investigative body. It is suggested to give the investigation of the cases of torture carried out by the investigators of the Investigative Committee to the Investigation Department of the National Security Service excluding all investigative bodies.

According to the Deputy Minister, at the moment, all electoral crimes that do not have corruption elements are investigated by the Investigative Committee.

In his co-report, the Committee Chair Vladimir Vardanyan highlighted the legislative package considering it topical.

The package of draft laws was endorsed.