VIDEO: From 'Street Dog Fights' to Car 'Tricks': The Consequences of Impunity

Although the National Assembly adopted a bill in October 2019 to make amendments and changes to the Criminal Code, criminalizing cruel treatment of animals, instances of such cruelty continue in Armenia, including the posting and dissemination of these acts through social media.

EcoNews.am, an environmental information website, continues to monitor developments in the field and raise awareness of the issues. A user named Karen Antonyan (karenantonyan0) has regularly uploaded videos on one of the popular social networks among young people, showcasing the shameful practice of street dog fights in Armenia.

The organization and execution of dog fights in Armenia are not only uncontrolled but also impunity exists, despite the Criminal Code stipulating penalties for organizing and conducting dog fights.

Furthermore, an analysis of publicly available data has revealed that this user is interested not only in illegal dog fights but is also inspired by severe violations of traffic rules, the consequences of which can often be disastrous. The user has uploaded videos demonstrating 'tricks' with cars on the social platform, where the vehicle license plates can also be seen.

Karen Antonyan has consistently uploaded videos of dog fights, which often receive high view counts. This indicates that the phenomenon not only goes unpunished but is also spreading widely.

The latest videos of dog fights were uploaded on February 22, 2020, February 19, 2020, January 9, 2020, January 20, 2020, etc. In addition, videos illustrating violations of traffic rules were posted on August 23, 2019, and July 21, 2019.

The Armenian Criminal Code defines: “1. Cruel treatment of an animal means causing the animal’s life to cease through strangulation, hanging, dismemberment, severe beating, whipping, shooting, poisoning, or injecting a substance that leads to a cruel or painful death, skinning an animal alive, amputating, throwing it into fire, throwing it from a height or vehicles, organizing and carrying out animal fights, as well as performing scientific experiments on animals in violation of established procedures and other cruel treatment, is punishable by a fine from one hundred to three hundred times the minimum wage, or imprisonment for a term of one to three months, or imprisonment for up to one year. 2. The same act committed by a group of persons with prior agreement, with individual cruelty, in the presence of a minor, or against two or more animals is punishable by a fine from three hundred to five hundred times the minimum wage, or imprisonment for one to three years.”