YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 19, ARMENPRESS. Lawmakers are debating a bill aimed at tackling criminal subculture. The bill, if passed, will criminalize any association with criminal subculture and combat the phenomenon known as “thieves in law”.

Ruling My Step bloc MP Mkhitar Hayrapetyan told parliament in his remarks that the real goodfellas are the soldiers serving in the borders, the renowned athletes and scientists.

“Last year’s Velvet Revolution was the launch of the revolution of my dreams. It paved the way for an economic revolution, a cultural revolution, a revolution of values. I view this bill in the context of values, system of values. Frankly speaking I would never think that there will be any lawmaker here who will think that, for example, there can be better guys in our country than, for example, Robert Abajyan, that there can be better guys than Arthur Alexanyan and Henrikh Mkhitaryan, that there can be better guys than our young scientists, who are creating values not only for our state, but also international scientific circles,” he said, referring to the expression “good guy” which is somewhat similar to “goodfella”.

“It would never cross my mind that they [mobsters] can be considered as better guys than for example Chekijyan and Mansuryan. I think the changes of last year enable us to have a greater impact on realizing a cultural revolution, a revolution of values in this context. From pre-school age children must hear only this from this floor, that the people whom I partly mentioned are the true goodfellas, the heroes, the authorities, people who have had great contribution in cultural, educational and scientific life, people who today are standing at the frontline, police officers who are serving the state and law. And parliament ought to have this dialogue with the society,” Hayrapetyan said.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan