Criminalizing Insults Against Lawyers Will Bring Restraint: Aghajanyan

Lawyer Eduard Aghajanyan believes that the need to criminalize insults against lawyers has long been evident, reports Tert.am.

"Last year, we developed a draft and submitted it to the Chamber of Advocates for it to present to the Ministry of Justice. This is because, not only in high-profile cases but also in ordinary ones, lawyers are often subjected to pressure from the relatives of the opposing side, and this was not regulated by law," he said.

According to Aghajanyan, if a group of citizens blocks a road and prevents a lawyer from entering the courthouse, thereby obstructing the lawyer's activities, this is not considered a crime under the current criminal laws.

In response to the observation that a penalty is established anyway, and why it should be singled out and criminalized when insults have been decriminalized, the lawyer stated that this falls within the realm of private prosecution. Insults are aimed at the lawyer not as a citizen but in connection with his professional activities. "It should be viewed separately; if the person were not a lawyer, no one would insult or offend them," he said.