Statements

On the cases of violence towards the young people
04/30/09

On the evening of the 29th of April the office of the Human Rights Defender received telephone calls informing that a group of youth representatives had been subjected to beating and transferred to medical institutions in the course of dissemination of flyers notifying about the opposition rally, planned on 01.05.2009.

The Human Rights Defender of RA and the rapid reaction group of the Staff immediately visited N1 University Clinic complex of Yerevan. In the course of visit it was found out that Vahagn Gevorgyan had been transferred there by a city ambulance car. He informed the Defender that 7 men dressed in civilian clothes attacked them in the park near the embassy of Italy and subjected them to beating. First medical aid had been provided by the medical staff of the clinic; afterwards the respective appeal on the basis of his statement was lodged with the Central department of the Yerevan division of the Police of the Republic of Armenia.

The Defender was also informed that citizens Armen Gevorgyan and Sahak Muradyan had been transferred to “Armenia” Republican medical center by a city ambulance car. Making certain that Vahagn Gevorgyan was receiving proper medical treatment, the Defender and the rapid reaction group went on a visit to “Armenia” Republican medical center.

The doctor on duty of the “Armenia” Republican medical Centre N. Tadevosyan informed that from the above mentioned citizens only Armen Gevorgyan had been transferred to the hospital with multiple injures on prior checkup. The visitor mentioned that he had fallen down, afterwards he had been examined by the traumatologist, surgeon, urologist, and sonography of internal organs had been made. At the end of the medical checkup no injures that the visitor had mentioned were found. He had been suggested to take an x-ray photography which he had refused to do and left the hospital.

At that time Levon Zurabyan approached the Defender and mentioned, that the chief of  the Central department of the Yerevan division of the Police of the Republic of Armenia Ashot Karapetyan had contacted him and threatened to bring criminal charges against Vahagn Gevorgyan, if the latter would not retract his testimony he had given on that occasion.

The Human Rights Defender of the Republic of Armenia condemns the violence that took place and calls upon the Police to take all necessary measures in order do reveal as soon as possible  all the persons in charge of the violence and call them to account under the law, otherwise the negligence of the Police can be regarded as the encouragement of such violence.