The Office of the Human Rights Defender of Armenia has recorded photos of used ballots being disseminated on social networks, including ballots with offensive remarks on them, the Office of the Human Rights Defender of Armenia reported, adding the following:

“This is a violation of electoral legislation.

The Human Rights Defender deems it necessary to remind all citizens that coercing a voter to report the result of the vote for violating confidentiality of the vote, verifying the used ballot for the purpose of disclosing the result of the vote, entering the voting booth, as well as violating confidentiality of the vote in any other way are deemed to be criminal offences under the Criminal Code of Armenia. The acts are punished by a fine in the amount of AMD 500-700,000 or imprisonment for a term of 2-5 years.

In addition, casting a vote visibly for for third parties (except for a person helping the voter) and violating confidentiality of a vote for mercenary motives by way of disclosing information obtained by photographing the document or video recording to disclose the result of the vote are punished by a fine in the amount of AMD 100-200,000.”