ArmInfo. The Armenian government rejected the legislative initiative of the parliamentary lawmakers from the Prosperous Armenia faction aimed at toughening the punishment for cruel treatment of animals.
As stated by the Minister of Justice of Armenia Artak Zeinalyan, lawmakers offer to criminalize cruelty against animals in order to cause pain and / or suffering, as well as hooliganism motives or mercenary motives that caused death or injury of the animal. The parliamentarians propose that this act be punished with a fine of a minimum wage, or a jail sentence of up to one year, or arrest for one to three months. However, the head of the Ministry of Justice believes that the issue should be further considered. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan joked: "What will happen if people decide to stab the sacrificial lamb, is this situation foreseen?". As a result, in order to avoid a discretionary attitude in the future, the executive branch found it necessary to address the issue in more details.