Armenia's Constitutional Court on Tuesday declared that the European Convention on Human Rights' ban on the death penalty in peacetime does not violate the Armenian Constitution.

YEREVAN, Armenia   The decision brings this former Soviet republic one step closer to fulfilling its obligations as a member of the Council of Europe, which requires adherence to its human rights convention.

Armenian lawmakers have already approved a new criminal code, which goes into affect on August 1, that anticipates the full abolition of the death penalty, said Justice Minister David Arutyunian.

Armenia has had a moratorium on the death penalty since 1997, although judges continue to hand out the sentence.

Currently, 42 people are jailed on death sentences in Armenia.

After the new criminal code comes into effect, prisoners facing the death penalty will have their sentences commuted to life in prison, which Arutyunian declared a <more severe punishment.>  Meanwhile, Armenia's parliament plans this fall to consider formal ratification of the European Convention's so-called Sixth Protocol demanding the abolition of the death penalty.

Arutyunian said that Armenia <due to territorial peculiarities> had not yet signed up to that part of the convention, but he added that there are no legal obstacles to its ratification.