Viktor Dallakian, the chairman of the State Legal Commission...

Viktor Dallakian, the chairman of the State Legal Commission of Armenia's National Assembly, said there were 32 prisoners condemned to death. Because the new Criminal Code under deliberation by the Armenian Parliament unable foresees the replacement of capital punishment by life imprisonment, a number of members of parliament considered Armenia to maintain prisoners sentenced to death. Dallakian considered that the abolition of the death penalty could increase the number of crimes. In his opinion this issue should be solved by a national referendum. He said also that the capital punishment might be abolished in Armenia, however some reservations are necessary. For instance, people who have committed heavy crimes in wartime must be sentenced to capital punishment.