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Armenia has seen an increase in crime rates following the recently declared amnesty, advocate Armine Fanyan told a news conference on Wednesday.

The amnesty law signed by the Armenian president on 3 November entered into force on November 6. The new measure marks the 100th anniversary of the First Republic of Armenia and the 2,800th anniversary of the capital, Yerevan.

The lawyer stated the declared amnesty further contributed to the rise in crimes due to its broad spectrum. “The similar laws adopted before didn’t have such a wide range of application, but in this case it has even applied to people who have committed serious crimes,” he said, urging the authorities to deal with the resocialization issue of the prisoners granted amnesty to prevent them from following the same path.

“Our country lacks resocialization mechanisms. It turns out that those people are more likely to end up behind bars again,” she said.

According to the advocate, apart from the amnesty, other factors could have prompted the crime rate growth in Armenia. “Among them, social issues are the key ones, as evidenced by the growth in robbery and embezzlement cases,” she added.