On June 16, 2021, Mr. Haykaz Harutyunyan, the candidate
for deputy included in the pre-election list of “Armenia” alliance, informed the
Human Rights Defender’s Office through the hotline that during the campaign of
the Acting Prime Minister, the red berets of the 3rd special battalion
of Police Patrol Service apprehended Mr. Tigran Khudoyan, Mr. Hayk Muradyan and
Mr. Shahen Vardanyan from the front of “Armenia” alliance’s headquarters in Yeghegnadzor
city (Vayots Dzor Province). Mr. Harutyunyan claimed that he had no information
on their location at the moment he addressed the complaint to the Defender’s
Office.
Regarding the alarming-call, the Human Rights
Defender’s Office received clarifications from the Police that those individuals
were apprehended on the suspicion of committing the offense provided under
Article 149.1 of the Armenian Criminal Code (hindering a rally) and two of them
were transferred to the investigative body. This information has been
subsequently provided to the person who called the hotline.
Afterwards, H. Harutyunyan once again contacted (us)
and informed that Mr. Tigran Khudoyan had left the administrative building of
the investigative body with a bandage on his arm and had a wrist joint fracture
(according to the person, the hand is dislocated).
Mr. Khudoyan informed that he was injured when he was handcuffed
during the apprehension by the policemen. He also informed that the fingers of
his hand are amputated, and for that reason, he asked in advance the Police
servicemen not to handcuff him, nevertheless he was handcuffed.
According to the alarming-call, during the
apprehension and the stay in the Police division, the policemen apply brute
force against him, and at that moment the other apprehended person Mr. Shahen
Vardanyan had also been beaten; he was visited by an ambulance crew.
Afterwards, the media reported information that disproportionate physical force was used against the
persons apprehended in the Police Division, and a photo was published.
Taking into consideration the circumstances of the alarming-call,
and keeping in mind the specific information on the violence inflicted against
persons deprived of their liberty, the Human Rights Defender’s Office addressed
official letters to the Prosecutor’s Office and the Police to examine the information
on the use of violence against the citizens in the Police Division in line with
the procedure under the Criminal Procedure Code of Armenia.
Mr. Arman
Tatoyan
The Human
Rights Defender of Armenia
Հայերեն
