Today, the rapid response groups of
the Office of the Human Rights Defender visited 7 Police stations in Yerevan,
Police station of Masis city of Ararat province, as well as the Police station
of Ashtarak city of Aragatsotn province.
The following violations were
registered:
1. As a result of the conducted
monitoring of the publications of mass media outlets and the visits, it was
registered that today, more than during the previous days, the cases where the
apprehending of persons by Police servicemen were conducted through the use of
blatant disproportionate use of force. Several cases of bodily injuries of
various severity were recorded.
According to the information reveled
through the private interviews, the bodily injuries, and the dragging of people
even occurred in the Police vehicles or in front of the Police stations, not
conditioned by the need to detain the person.
According to the information
provided by the citizens, there were also acts of swearing by the Police, unnecessary
dragging, disrespecting people, and other actions violating a person's dignity.
The Defender warns Police servicemen to act exclusively within the framework of
legality, to maintain the principle of proportionality of the minimum use of
force when apprehending people, and not to violate or degrade a person’s
self-esteem, since these acts will receive an adequate legal assessment.
2. The monitoring of the
publications of mass media outlets revealed acts committed by the protesters
which were aimed at insulting, humiliating, and degrading the importance of the
service conducted by Police servicemen.
The monitoring also registered a
number of cases when the protesters were involved in inappropriate and
provocative conversations, and acts of swearing and insulting people who were
not participating in the rallies, and caused premeditated damages to the
vehicles belonging to the latter.
Cases of intolerance by people who
did not participate in the rallies were also recorded. This is an extremely
dangerous and condemnable practice. The organizers and the participants of the
protests are obliged to make every effort to minimize the obstacles to the
realization of the rights of other people and the inconveniences caused to
their everyday life, and to prevent any potential cases of violence.
3. The “Register of Persons Brought
to the Police” was not filled at the Ashtarak Police station; hence, during the
visit, there were 12 persons in the Police station, although no information
about them was recorded in the Register.
4. In all Police station, cases
where persons were apprehended after complying with the demands of Police
servicemen, or where no demands were made by the Police, or when insufficient
time was provided to comply with the demands of the Police, are widespread.
These practices transform the administrative arrest illegal, making this
practice inadmissible.
5. Numerous cases were registered
where Police servicemen threatened to detain people for 24 hours or to subject
them to criminal liability, since they exercised their right to remain silent.
These cases were particularly
numerous in the Police stations in Nor Nork and Masis city.
These acts are particularly
inadmissible and condemnable when committed by the Head of the Police station
or other person holding a managerial position or with the tacit consent of the
latter. Police servicemen are obligated to respect a person’s right to remain
silent, and forcing people to renounce from their right cannot be considered
legal or justified in any case.
6. A case was registered in Nor Nork
Police station where a person was deprived of liberty for 4 hours and 40
minutes, instead of the maximum 3 hours provided for by the law. It was only
through the intervention of the rapid response groups of the Defender that a
person was immediately released.
The Defender notes yet again that
keeping people in Police station within the context of administrative arrest
for more than 3 hours is illegal, and should receive a proper legal assessment.
7. According to the information
provided by the citizens, incidents and scuffles were often provoked by Police
servicemen; at the same time, the same issue was raised by apprehended citizens
in several Police stations.
The latter specifically complained
from the rude acts of Police servicemen in red berets, the use of
disproportionate use of force by them, and their disrespectful attitude.
The Defender reminds yet again that
Police servicemen should act exclusively within the limits of their status, and
not initiate or participate in private disputes or conversations that do not
derive from that status.
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