National Assembly deputy Gevorg Petrosyan proposes to make an addition to the Criminal Code and stipulate that public disclosure of false or untrue information by an official on issues of public interest or national security should be punishable by a fine or imprisonment.

The deputy proposes to punish with a fine of 700 to 1 million drams or imprisonment for up to one year for publicly disclosing false or untrue information.

In the justification, Petrosyan noted, “The RA Criminal Code prohibits legal relations related to concealment or falsification of information, such as concealing information on circumstances dangerous to human life or health, concealing or deliberately distorting information on environmental pollution, etc. Moreover, the regulation of Article 314 of the RA Criminal Code is also special, which criminalizes the insertion of obviously false information or records in official documents by an official for profit or other personal motives or group interests, falsification, scratching or other date records or making changes, as well as compiling or submitting false documents.

To put it plainly, this prohibits the provision of false information in written form only, whereas in the case of public statements, speeches and answers to journalists that are not expressed in writing, officials often falsify or misrepresent information, which constitutes highly public danger.

The importance of the draft is that it prohibits the provision of false information by the officials, which is first and foremost an important guarantee of the credibility of the state authorities.