“HAYAQVE” is a civil-legislative initiative that formulated a draft to criminalize any act that acknowledges Artsakh as part of another state on behalf of the Republic of Armenia, as well as includes the criminalization of actions that undermine the significance of the Armenian Genocide. According to this draft, any official representing the Republic of Armenia who recognizes Artsakh as part of another state or denies the Armenian Genocide shall face a prison sentence ranging from 10 to 15 years.
The basis for this initiative is derived from the Declaration of Independence of the Republic of Armenia, the Constitution of the Republic of Armenia, and the decision of the Supreme Council of the Republic of Armenia dated July 8, 1992. In order to participate, individuals are required to sign the petition at local government institutions such as regional administration, city halls, and district administration and their signature needs to be confirmed with passport data.
The Central Electoral Commission has designated a 60-day period, ending on August 19 of this year, for collecting signatures. The collection of signatures will commence on June 29 with a symbolic opening ceremony at the Yerevan Center district headquarters located at Teryan 44. There is also an electronic signature option, which has already been launched. You can get information on how to sign electronically from “Hayaqve” social media pages. It is mandatory to present a passport when signing the petition. You are not restricted to signing at your place of registration; you can sign in any village, city, region, or district. You can sign on working days from 09:00 to 18:00. All citizens of the Republic of Armenia who are 18 years and older are eligible to sign. Once 50,000 signatures are obtained, the bill must be included in the National Assembly’s agenda for a vote. If the National Assembly rejects the bill, an additional 300,000 signatures will be collected, and the project will be subjected to a referendum. Four communities outside of Yerevan, namely Amasia, Sisian, Spitak, and Dilijan, have refused to provide space for a signature collection despite it being constitutionally mandated.
Source: 301