The package would let anyone report abuse to police, replace warnings with monitoring and require rehabilitation. The committee’s favourable conclusion advances it to plenary debate; the proposals are not yet law.
Armenia’s National Assembly Standing Committee on the Protection of Human Rights and Public Affairs gave a favourable conclusion to a domestic violence legislative package on 26 October, Hetq said. The decision advances the proposed changes toward plenary debate, rather than passing them into law.
Interior Minister Arpine Sargsyan said the package would allow anyone to report domestic violence to police. Hetq described the current restriction as limiting reports to victims.
The proposed measures would replace police warnings with “preventive registration”, a system for law enforcement to monitor perpetrators. They would also require rehabilitation under both urgent intervention orders and protection orders.
Bill co-author Zaruhi Batoyan said the package would tighten criminal penalties and establish a single state hotline. It would also reserve places in state-funded shelters run by non-governmental organisations for cases involving verified threats to life or health.
The opposition Armenia faction proposed postponing consideration of the bill. The committee rejected the delay and issued its favourable conclusion.
In an account of a press briefing published on 26 October by Armenpress, Sargsyan said current rules can make the continuation of proceedings depend on a victim’s complaint or a prosecutor’s discretion, depending on how the offence is classified. The law has no domestic violence exception to its provisions on genuine remorse and reconciliation, and reconciliation or withdrawal of a complaint can prevent a case from continuing. She said the amendments would remove those dependencies so investigations could continue and responsibility could be determined.
The package proposes ending warnings, restricting house arrest for defendants who share a home with victims and limiting repeat questioning. It still needs final approval.
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Sargsyan said authorities would still check reports, and existing criminal procedure safeguards would remain. Authorities could consider liability for a false accusation if they established that someone had supplied false information about another person.
The package is scheduled for discussion during the National Assembly’s upcoming regular sessions. Parliamentary passage is still needed before the proposed reporting and prosecution rules can take effect.
