Criminal
A new Criminal Code and Criminal Procedure Code in force since 2022
Armenia replaced its 2003 Criminal Code with a wholly new code that entered into force on 1 July 2022, alongside a new Criminal Procedure Code. The reform restructured sentencing and expanded alternatives to imprisonment.
Key rules
- Jurisdiction — National, with corruption offences channelled to the Anti-Corruption Court.
Governing law
- Criminal Code of the Republic of Armenia2021, in force 1 July 2022
- Criminal Procedure Code of the Republic of Armenia2021, in force 1 July 2022
In practice
The 2022 codes were drafted with Council of Europe input and are intended to align Armenian criminal justice with Convention standards. The death penalty was abolished in 2003 on accession to the Council of Europe; life imprisonment is the maximum sentence. Pre-trial detention is subject to judicial authorisation and defined maximum periods. The Investigative Committee and the Anti-Corruption Committee conduct investigations under prosecutorial supervision. The new procedure code strengthened defence access to case materials and restructured the appeal of interlocutory decisions.