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At March 15 sitting of the NA Standing Committee on State and Legal Affairs, the package of the draft laws on Making Addendum to the Criminal Code, on Criminal Procedure Code authored by the RA NA deputies Ishkhan Saghatelyan, Aram Vardevanyan, Aghvan Vardanyan was debated in the first reading.

The key rapporteur Aram Vardevanyan, presenting the motivation of making addenda to Codes in force, has noted that the draft law stems from the sovereign interests of the Republic of Armenia.

According to Aram Vardevanyan, the draft law also relates to the head of the foreign states and politicians.

The Committee Chair Vladimir Vardanyan proposed to re-edit the legislative package and to criminalize the public expressions voiced by the heads of the foreign states and politicians, putting under doubt or rejecting the RA belonging of the territory of the Republic of Armenia or its part, publicly justifying or campaigning the committing of the mentioned crime.

The Committee Chair’s proposal is acceptable for the key rapporteur.

The co-rapporteur, the RA NA deputy Vahagn Hovakimyan urged his colleagues to vote against the legislative package.

The RA Government presented a negative conclusion on the draft law.

The RA Deputy Minister of Justice Arpine Sargsyan presented the position of the executive body in the Committee.

In his final speech Aram Vardevanyan has stressed that the draft law under debate does not contain political elements. He also expressed readiness to re-edit, specify the bill from the first to the second reading.

The Committee did not endorse the draft law.