As a
result of monitoring of the media and social platforms, the Office of the Human
Rights Defender received information that on April 26, a group of people
holding a protest action on the Yerevan-Sevan highway section was apprehended.
On
the instructions of the Defender, a rapid response group went to the police
department of Hrazdan to visit the detained persons and get acquainted with the
state of ensuring their rights.
According
to the published information, the deputy of the National Assembly Artur
Khachatryan was also detained. During the visit, the NA deputy informed the
representatives of the Defender that police officers took him to the department
from the place of the protest action in a police car, after which he was
informed only in the administrative building of the department that no
procedure had been initiated against him and he had not been apprehended.
The
Human Rights Defender considers it necessary to emphasize that a deputy of the
National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia is not allowed to be deprived of
liberty, except in cases when he/she was caught during the commission of a
crime or immediately after it. The Defender has also raised this issue earlier
and emphasizes the observance of the mentioned constitutional requirement.
A
corresponding letter will be sent to the competent authority with the request
to investigate and process the circumstances of the case.
At
the same time, the Human Rights Defender emphasizes again that the use of force
by police officers should be in accordance with the law, in cases defined by
law and proportional.
Furthermore,
the Defender calls on the participants of the assemblies to exercise restraint
and follow the requirements established by law. The peaceful nature of the
assemblies must be guaranteed.
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