Penalties for Violating Requirements of the Armenian Flag Approved by Government

The Government of Armenia has approved a draft amendment to the law on the "Flag of the Republic of Armenia." This amendment clarifies the requirements set forth for the Armenian flag. In particular, the requirement for the flag to be complete, clean, and not faded is established as a general requirement.

Additionally, the draft clarifies the scope of entities liable for violations of the flag requirements defined by the Administrative Violations Code, as well as distinguishing the level of liability for administrative violations committed by individuals, legal entities, and officials.

According to the rationale, the adoption of the draft is expected to ensure adherence to the requirements for the Armenian flag's completeness, cleanliness, and non-fading not only for raised flags but also for installed and secured flags, and to ensure clarity and specificity regarding the requirements for the flag defined by law. This is expected to contribute to the public’s valuation of the state symbol, the flag of the Republic of Armenia, and the formation of respect towards it.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan emphasized that this is related to the rooting of a state mentality.
"State mentality is sometimes trampled on right before our eyes. Today, both state and non-state institutions can be seen displaying tattered flags, and we often pass by them thinking it's supposed to be that way. But I must admit that I do not pass by such cases, and I have repeatedly addressed this topic publicly," he stated.

According to him, we have reached a point where legal liability must be established for violations of flag requirements. The legislative package was presented at the government session by Minister of Justice Mikael Minasyan. He announced that in addition to the changes to the law on the flag, amendments are also being made to the "Law on Administrative Offenses of the Republic of Armenia." Accordingly, the fines currently set for violating flag requirements, which range from 30,000 to 50,000 drams, will be maintained only for individuals and legal entities, while officials will face fines ranging from 50,000 to 70,000 drams.