Over $2.5 Million in Fines Issued for Not Wearing Masks: ‘Factinfo’

In the Republic of Armenia, from the time the state of emergency was declared due to the extraordinary situation until July 30 inclusive, a total of 118,259 reports have been issued for failing to wear masks. This information was provided to ‘Factinfo’ by the informational center of the Armenian police in response to a written inquiry, noting that the reports were issued under Article 182.3, part 1.1 of the Administrative Violations Code of Armenia. This article stipulates a fine of 10,000 drams.

As of July 30, Armenian citizens have been fined a total of 1,182,590,000 drams for not wearing masks, which is equivalent to approximately $2.5 million.

‘Factinfo’ had sent a written inquiry to the Armenian police to determine how many administrative reports have been issued for not wearing masks during the state of emergency, how many lawsuits have been filed regarding the collection of these fines, the total amount claimed, and how many of the reports have been dismissed.

For a separate inquiry, we specifically asked how many administrative reports have been issued for failing to comply with the anti-epidemic regulations established by the prime minister, and how many lawsuits have been filed regarding the collection of fines, including the total amount claimed.

In response to ‘Factinfo’s’ written inquiry, police stated that from the moment the state of emergency was declared until July 30, 2020, a total of 118,259 reports were issued under Article 182.3, part 1.1 (for not wearing masks). By August 3, 2020, the police had received 1,137 complaints against these reports, of which 82 were accepted, and 491 were rejected.

Regarding the amount already collected, police indicate that the enforcement of fines through administrative acts is carried out by the Court Enforcement Service after the appeal procedures have been completed. As of September 1, 2020, 3,126 administrative acts have been sent for enforcement.

During this period, 269 reports were issued for violations of restrictions related to certain types of financial-technical operations, and decisions on administrative fines were made for 106 of these cases. Under the prime minister's decision, 709 individuals were detained for participating in prohibited gatherings during the state of emergency, with administrative violation reports filed against 703 of them, of which only materials for 94 were sent to the Armenian Administrative Court to address the question of administrative responsibility, amounting to 4,700,000 drams.