New RA Law on Freedom of Assembly raises heated debates in Armenian parliament

PanARMENIAN.Net - On March 24, Armenian parliament continued with the discussion of a draft law On the Freedom of Assembly.

As Armenian Justice Minister Hrayr Tovmasyan told a news conference, the bill envisages a number of amendments to current law on assemblies.

Specifically, the new law clearly stipulates the norms, according to which the assemblies might be suspended or forbidden.

During the discussion of the bill, the parliamentarians expressed concern over the fact that the new law fails to specify the distance from the governmental building, the National Assembly and presidential residence at which the assembly should be organized.

In this connection, Tovmasyan stated that the distance is determined by a number of factors, including the number of demonstrators, tools used during the demonstration.

ARFD member Artsvik Minasyan, however, noted that despite a number of positive features, the bill must be revised, as no specific solutions are provided for each case and the formulation lacks clarity.