CDL-REF(2021)022 -2- CRIMINAL CODE OF THE REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA (Adopted on 18 April 2003) GENERAL PART SECTION 1 CRIMINAL STATUTE CHAPTER 1 TASKS AND PRINCIPLES OF CRIMINAL LEGISLATION Article 1. Criminal legislation of the Republic of Armenia 1. The criminal legislation of the Republic of Armenia consists of this Code. New laws that envisage criminal liability shall be included in the Criminal Code of the Republic of Armenia. 2. The Criminal Code of the Republic of Armenia is based on the Constitution of the Republic of Armenia and on principles and norms of international law. Article 2. Tasks of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Armenia 1. Tasks of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Armenia shall be as follows: to protect human and citizens’ rights and freedoms from criminal encroachments, rights of legal entities, property, environment, public order and security, constitutional order, peace and safety of humanity, as well as to prevent crimes. 2. For the purpose of implementing these tasks, the Criminal Code of the Republic of Armenia stipulates the ground for criminal liability and the principles of criminal legislation, determines what acts dangerous to the public are deemed to be crimes and defines the types of punishment and other criminal-law enforcement measures for commission thereof. Article 3. Ground for criminal liability The sole ground for criminal liability is criminal offence, i.e. the commission of an act that contains all elements of corpus delicti provided for in the criminal statute. Article 4. Principles of criminal legislation The Criminal Code of the Republic of Armenia is based on the principles of legality, equality before the law, inevitability of liability, personal liability, fault based liability, individualisation of justice and liability and humanism.