Armenia
Death penalty and prisoners' rights · Archive since 1999
Data card
- Legal status
- Abolitionist
- Executions recorded in 2026
- 0
- Executions recorded in 2025
- 0
- First news item in the archive
- JANUARY 1, 1999 · There are 31 capital offenses
- News items in the archive
- 130
Source: Hands Off Cain database, updated to 2026.
Armenia is classified as Abolitionist in the Hands Off Cain database, updated to 2026. In 2026 the association recorded 0 executions in the country, against 0 the year before. The archive holds 130 news items on Armenia, from 1999 to today.
Latest news
- SEPTEMBER 9, 2003ArmeniaDEATH PENALTY
Armenia's 131-seat national assembly on September 9,...
Armenia's 131-seat national assembly on September 9, 2003 voted to unconditionally abolish the death penalty in peacetime
- SEPTEMBER 9, 2003ArmeniaDEATH PENALTY
The Armenian parliament voted to abolish the death...
The Armenian parliament voted to abolish the death penalty after the country came under pressure from the Council of Europe to meet its obligations to international treaties
- SEPTEMBER 9, 2003ArmeniaDEATH PENALTY
"By ratifying Protocol No
"By ratifying Protocol No
- SEPTEMBER 5, 2003ArmeniaDEATH PENALTY
The Council of Europe (CE) was disappointed with the...
The Council of Europe (CE) was disappointed with the fact that there were provisions in the law on the application of the new Armenian Criminal Code, which would allow the death penalty to be applied to criminals sentenced to death prior to 1 August 2003,
- AUGUST 8, 2003ArmeniaDEATH PENALTY
Prisoners on death row at Nubarashen prison, Armenia,...
Prisoners on death row at Nubarashen prison, Armenia, demanded a meeting with the leaders of the Armenian National Assembly
- AUGUST 2, 2003ArmeniaDEATH PENALTY
The Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Walter...
The Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Walter Schwimmer, warmly welcomed the decision of Armenian President Robert Kocharyan to commute all outstanding death sentences to life imprisonment
- AUGUST 1, 2003ArmeniaDEATH PENALTY
The new Criminal Code that came into force on August...
The new Criminal Code that came into force on August 1, 2003 removed the death penalty for ordinary crimes
- AUGUST 1, 2003ArmeniaDEATH PENALTY
Armenian President Robert Kocharian pardoned all inmates...
Armenian President Robert Kocharian pardoned all inmates who were sentenced to death by shooting under the old Criminal Code, the presidential press service said
- AUGUST 1, 2003ArmeniaDEATH PENALTY
The new Armenian Criminal Code came into force, envisaging...
The new Armenian Criminal Code came into force, envisaging the complete repeal of the death penalty
- JULY 15, 2003ArmeniaDEATH PENALTY
The Constitutional Court (CC) of Armenia recognized...
The Constitutional Court (CC) of Armenia recognized the provisions of Protocol No
- JULY 14, 2003ArmeniaDEATH PENALTY
The "Orinats Yerkir" party is for abolition of the...
The "Orinats Yerkir" party is for abolition of the capital punishment in Armenia, Chairman of the Armenian National Assembly and Leader of the party, Arthur Baghdasaryan, said at a press-conference
- JULY 12, 2003ArmeniaDEATH PENALTY
The Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) is for the abolition...
The Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) is for the abolition of death penalty in Armenia, RPA Chairman and Armenian Prime Minister Andranik Margarian stated at the RPA's 8th congress
- APRIL 30, 2003ArmeniaDEATH PENALTY
Armenian President Kocharian signed a new Criminal...
Armenian President Kocharian signed a new Criminal Code, which had been approved by the National Assembly on April 18, and the law on enactment of the new Criminal Code starting from August 1, 2003
- APRIL 24, 2003ArmeniaDEATH PENALTY
Armenia was a cosponsor and voted in favour of the...
Armenia was a cosponsor and voted in favour of the resolution on the death penalty approved by the UN Commission on Human Rights, in Geneva
- APRIL 22, 2003ArmeniaDEATH PENALTY
The Council of Europe welcomed a vote by the Armenian...
The Council of Europe welcomed a vote by the Armenian parliament to lift the death penalty for most crimes as a step in the right direction towards Armenian membership of the council
- APRIL 17, 2003ArmeniaDEATH PENALTY
The Armenian parliament passed the third reading of...
The Armenian parliament passed the third reading of the new criminal code, which abolishes capital punishment and replaces it with life imprisonment
- APRIL 8, 2003ArmeniaDEATH PENALTY
The Council of Europe insisted that Armenia ratify...
The Council of Europe insisted that Armenia ratify by June 2003 the 6th protocol to the European Human Rights Convention that envisages the full repeal of death penalty, the head of the Armenian delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of E
- APRIL 5, 2003ArmeniaDEATH PENALTY
Armen Martirossian, Armenian Deputy Minister for Foreign...
Armen Martirossian, Armenian Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs, announced at a seminar held in Tsakhkadzor that there should be unanimous backing for the abolition of capital punishment from Armenia's legislation
- JANUARY 1, 2003ArmeniaDEATH PENALTY
One person was condemned to death in 2002 according...
One person was condemned to death in 2002 according to OSCE data
- JANUARY 1, 2003ArmeniaDEATH PENALTY
No executions had taken place since 1990
No executions had taken place since 1990
- NOVEMBER 15, 2002ArmeniaDEATH PENALTY
Armenia should built state without death penalty, advisor...
Armenia should built state without death penalty, advisor to RA minister of home affairs, head of task force of reformation of RA Criminal Code Mikael Grigoryan said
- NOVEMBER 15, 2002ArmeniaDEATH PENALTY
Nikolay Arustamyan, a representative of the Armenian...
Nikolay Arustamyan, a representative of the Armenian Justice Ministry, said that today there were 42 people sentenced to death and expecting their sentence to be commuted to life imprisonment in connection with the death penalty moratorium announced in Ar
- OCTOBER 24, 2002ArmeniaDEATH PENALTY
Rimma Demirchyan, the widow of National Assembly Speaker...
Rimma Demirchyan, the widow of National Assembly Speaker Karen Demirchyan, who also was killed in the act of terrorism in the 1999 Armenian parliament, described as "unacceptable" the fulfilment of the Council of Europe's requirement on lifting death pena
- OCTOBER 22, 2002ArmeniaDEATH PENALTY
"We should spare no efforts to cancel death sentence...
"We should spare no efforts to cancel death sentence legally", Vardan Oskanian, minister of foreign affairs of RA, said
- OCTOBER 7, 2002ArmeniaDEATH PENALTY
Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanian held a meeting...
Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanian held a meeting with Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Alvares Jil-Robles
- OCTOBER 4, 2002ArmeniaDEATH PENALTY
A seminar was held at the Armenian Strategic and National...
A seminar was held at the Armenian Strategic and National Research Center to discus issues concerning the European convention of defence of human rights and freedom and problems concerning the ratification of the 6th protocol of the convention by Armenia,
- OCTOBER 3, 2002ArmeniaDEATH PENALTY
Council of Europe Commissioner on Human Rights Alvaro...
Council of Europe Commissioner on Human Rights Alvaro Gil-Robles drew the attention of the Armenian authorities to the need to abolish the death penalty which, he said, is of great importance to the Council of Europe
- SEPTEMBER 3, 2002ArmeniaDEATH PENALTY
The head of the parliamentary Unity faction, Galust...
The head of the parliamentary Unity faction, Galust Saakyan, said that the Council of Europe should take a respectful view of the opinion of the Armenian public, who favour the death penalty for the perpetrators of the act of terrorism in the Armenian par
- AUGUST 21, 2002ArmeniaDEATH PENALTY
The co-rapporteurs of the PACE Monitoring Commission,...
The co-rapporteurs of the PACE Monitoring Commission, Irena Belogorska nd Yerzhi Yaskernya met with the relatives of the members of the Armenian Government and of the Armenian deputies killed as a result of the October '99 terrorist act in the Armenian Pa
- JULY 12, 2002ArmeniaDEATH PENALTY
Council of Europe secretary-general Walter Schwimmer,...
Council of Europe secretary-general Walter Schwimmer, on a three-day visit to Armenia, made it abundantly clear that the fact that the country is moving in the "right direction" in terms of fulfilling its obligations to the Council of Europe does not yet