Epress.am News from Armenia
A bill to reform “The Legal Regime of the State of Emergency” law is once again on the National Assembly’s agenda. Today, the Armenian National Congress (HAK) member Gagik Jhangiryan presented the bill in the National Assembly. The bill’s objective is to restrict the Armenian President from using the army during a state of emergency. According to Jhangiryan, the bill allowing the president was passed in 2012 only to justify the illegal declaration of a state of emergency on March 1st, 2008 and the Armed Force’s dispersion of a peaceful protest. On March 1, 10 people were killed and until today, no one has been tried for their deaths.
“In order for the president to give a command to the Armed Forces, it would have to be among one of the three situations. First, the state must be attacked, a real danger must be felt from the attack, or a declaration of war. But that still isn’t sufficient, it must be declared a military situation, and a declaration of partial or entire mobilization,” Jhangiryan said today in the National Assembly.
The HAK backed bill received opposition from the ruling Republican Armenian Party (HHK) MPs. Khosrov Harutyunyan, specifically noted that the use of unconstitutional acts is justified, for example, the use of the Armed Forces against the unconstitutional attempt to overthrow the government by force.
Earlier this year, HAK had already brought the issue on the agenda once before, however, the bill had received a negative conclusion from the Armenian government.