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In 2020, the Executive distinctly recorded the with amendments and addenda made in the RA Criminal Code the negative influence of the criminal sub-culture on the public security, on the co-compulsory rules of the behaviour established by the state.

The Executive also recorded we should demonstrate comprehensive approach against grouping of criminal sub-culture, spreading the rules established by it and the rules of the recognize behavior, i.e. we take steps at practical, as well as legislative level. Artur Hovhannisyan said at the next sitting of the NA Standing Committee on Science, Education, Culture, Diaspora, Youth and Sport on January 30, presenting in the first reading the draft law on Making Addenda to the law on Audiovisual Media. The authors of the initiative are the deputies of the NA Civil Contract Faction Alen Simonyan and Artur Hovhannisyan.

The authors of the initiative especially considered important to prevent and ban the films containing criminal sub-culture campaign and audiovisual programmes, as much the legislation and the technologies allow at this moment. “They contain vulgarity, blasphemy, deny the universal norm of morality and promote immoral lifestyle, downplay the role of education and upbringing, boost the spreading of subculture manners, ways of behavior and speaking in the society, making romantic the characters and lifestyle,” the rapporteur said, detailing that often the minors wish to imitate characters with criminal sub-culture, which negatively reflect on them.

It is proposed to set that the films containing criminal subculture campaign and the audiovisual programmes can be broadcast during the period from 24:00 – 6:00.

The regulating state body sets the criteria of defining such programmes.

The MPs, in general, positively assessed the legislative initiative, emphasized the prevention of broadcasting the films, soap operas containing criminal sub-culture campaign or the audiovisual programmes. A number of proposals and remarks were presented, which the authors will debate during the period from the first to the second reading.

In her co-speech the MP Hasmik Hakobyan noted that the need of the initiative was long overdue. She highlighted the adoption of the draft.

“I think that we should ban in all possible environments and planes and ban any revelation and spreading of criminal subculture, taking into consideration also the fact that the criminal culture, in essence, is a phenomenon undermining the bases of the state, it is typical mainly to the post-Soviet countries. Finally, the Republic of Armenia should to get rid of the reprehensible phenomena that destroy the state and have nothing to do with the state. If even those steps have a purpose of political message, we should go in that direction. The Republic of Armenia is a country, where it is not allowed to show with public multiplex ‘heist’ films, to shoot romanticized programmes about criminal world, etc,” Artur Hovhannisyan stressed, summing up the debate.

The Committee endorsed the draft. It will be proposed to include in the draft agenda of the NA upcoming next sittings.

The RA Deputy Minister of High-Tech Industry Avet Poghosyan presented the positive opinion of the Government on the initiative.

The draft law authored by the deputy of the NA Armenia Faction on Making Amendments and Addenda to the RA law on Preservation and Use of the Immovable Monuments of History and Culture and Historical Environment was postponed up two months for revising it.