Armenia’s justice minister requests Venice Commission for opinion on Istanbul Convention

Armenia’s Justice Minister Rustam Badasyan has requested the Venice Commission to provide an opinion on the constitutional implications of the ratification of the Istanbul Convention (the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence) for Armenia.

The issue of the document’s possible ratification has sparked much debate in Armenia, with some lawyers claiming the convention is unconstitutional.

Chairman of Armenia’s Chamber of Advocates Ara Zohrabyan announced the launch of the initiative “No to the Istanbul Convention” on Thursday.