Epress.am News from Armenia
On Sept. 7, RA National Assembly (NA) Standing Committee on Defense, National Security and Internal Affairs organized parliamentary hearings to discuss the draft law “Disciplinary Regulations of the RA Armed Forces,” in which NA deputies, RA defense ministry, NGOs and media representatives took part, reports the RA NA official website.
Committee Chair Hrayr Karapetyan, in his opening speech, said that the need for passing such a law is clear, and it stems from the RA Constitution and the RA Law on Legal Acts, which defines by law instances of disciplinary responsibility and obligations with respect to individuals. He placed importance on the fact that the proposal includes restrictions on the issuance of military orders, writing up a report and the system to challenge an order. Karapetyan said that the RA Defense Minister appealed to the committee to submit a draft to the Venice Commission, which will be discussed at the NA standing committee Sept. 9 meeting.
RA Deputy Defense Minister Ara Nazaryan also recognized the need for the law, stating that today the Armenian armed forces are guided by a government decision approved in 1996, which doesn’t conform to the Constitution and the RA Law on Legal Acts.
According to Nazaryan, the draft law will regulate disciplinary relations in the armed forces at the legislative level, and will ensure the smooth implementation of human and civil rights of military personnel in accordance with the Constitution and relevant laws.
Civil Society Institute NGO representative Arman Danielyan said that the law will work only if several items on the matter of soldiers being kept in isolation as a punitive measure are clarified, as well as living conditions for troops and filing an appeal.