More severe punishment for violating state secret requirements to be  inflicted in Armenia 

ArmInfo. The National Security Service of Armenia initiates amendments and additions to the Code of  Administrative Offenses, as well as the Criminal Code, aimed at increasing the level of protection of confidentiality in state bodies and local governments, organizations and legal entities, preventing and eliminating possible offenses in this area, eliminating conditions that contribute to the leakage of confidential  information. 

As the head of the NSS legal department Nelly Manandyan stated on  September 6 at a meeting of the NA Standing Committee on National  Defense and Security, within the framework of the current Code of  Administrative Offenses and the Criminal Code, the scope of liability  for offenses in the field of state secrets is limited to liability  for the dissemination of classified information.

In this regard, it is proposed to add a new article to the Code of  Administrative Offenses, which will provide for liability for failure  to comply with the requirements of the legislation in the sphere of  storing information containing state secrets. According to the  representative of the national security agency, when developing the  document, the main violations related to the procedures of  encryption, storage, declassification, destruction, secret  administration and their transmission via computer equipment were  summarized, for which a proportionate fine is provided. The amount of  the fine can reach from fifty to six hundred minimum wages, depending  on the type of violation.

The consideration of violations within the framework of the normative  act will be entrusted to the National Security Service, and the  Director of the National Security Service will be given the authority  to determine the circle of officials authorized to consider cases of  administrative violations and impose penalties on behalf of the  National Security Service. With the next addition to the Code of  Administrative Offenses, the scope of administrative liability of  officials, including in the sphere of state security, will be  clarified.

"With the adoption of the draft, the National Security Service will  more effectively implement its function of interdepartmental control  over ensuring the confidentiality regime, this will have a positive  effect on preventing the repetition of violations at the local level,  reducing the volume and eliminating favorable conditions for the  leakage of confidential information," the head of the Department  noted.

Ruling faction deputy <Civil Contract> Hayk Sargsyan asked what the  development of the project was conditioned by and in which state  agency or which legal entity violations in the sphere of protection  of state secrets were recorded.  In response, Nelly Manandyan  refrained from indicating <global problems> in this direction. The  issue is that there was a legislative gap that needed to be filled.   The project received a positive conclusion from the commission.