ArmInfo. Law enforcement officers do not respond properly to the problem of drug distribution among minors in Armenia. This is indicated by lawyer Gohar Meloyan, who published a photo of an article about drug distribution among minors in the village of Mkhchyan in the Ararat region. In particular, students were tied up in a school toilet and stuffed with drugs.
In this regard, the human rights activist recalled that representatives of the ruling Civil Contract party received their powers to combat corruption, realize the importance of man, promote national values and a number of other populist goals. "Consequently, you are tens of times more constrained than any other political force or figure and are obliged to observe these values," the lawyer emphasized.
However, as Meloyan noted, the ruling party instead uses the high tribune as a platform for self-expression and, with its noise, drowns out news about illegal drug trafficking, which has long been a threat to minors.
"Parents themselves are trying to save their children. The topics of our once carefree public parent groups and chats have changed: now we discuss ways to protect children from a drug-addicted environment instead of discussing issues of children's nutrition," the lawyer complained. In this regard, the human rights activist stated that the inflated salaries of law enforcement officers, paid at the expense of taxpayers, should not be used only for beating demonstrators or using flash-bang grenades against protesters and called on them to do their job. "Do your job and demand a report from your colleagues from the rostrum of the National Assembly of Armenia on the prevention of drug trafficking," Meloyan concluded.
On May 5, during the meeting of the National Assembly of Armenia's Committee on State and Legal Affairs, the amendments to the RA Criminal Code submitted by Hayk Sargsyan, a member of parliament from the ruling Civil Contract faction, were discussed. According to these amendments, criminal liability measures for drug trafficking will be seriously tightened in Armenia. As Sargsyan noted during the meeting, according to the drug addiction service, the number of people using drugs increases annually (2018 - 6951, 2019 - 7209, 2020 - 7392, 2021 - 7570, 2022 - 7738). The bill provides for supplementing articles related to crimes against the circulation of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances, and their precursors as crimes with aggravating circumstances.