As we had informed earlier, on June 12, the Human Rights
Defender and the representatives of the Defender’s Office visited Police departments
and medical institutions, met the participants of the protests and the Police
officers receiving medical assistance.
During the private interviews, both the participants of
the protest and the Police officers presented very disturbing information to
the Defender. In particular, some participants of the protest noted that
disproportionate force was used by the Police officers when they were already
under the control of the Police officers. According to the claims, the
mentioned violent actions were of a continuous nature, were not caused by the
need to bring people into custody, and were also accompanied by insults
directed at people by the Police officers. The Defender considers the mentioned
circumstance unacceptable and reprehensible.
Additionally, the information presented by the Police
officers receiving medical assistance regarding the participants of the protest
throwing various objects in their direction, as a result of which the officers
received various physical injuries, is very concerning.
The Defender underlines again that every incident of the
use of disproportionate physical force by the Police should immediately receive
a proper legal evaluation to exclude the repetition of such cases.
The issue of whether the special measures were applied in
compliance with the established standards and order, should also become a
subject of special discussion.
The Defender also expresses her concern regarding the
fact that during these events, representatives of the mass media were injured
while performing their professional activities. The Human Rights Defender has
repeatedly emphasized the key role of mass media in a democratic society, and
had demanded the provision of necessary guarantees for their unhindered
professional activity. It is essential to carry out a proper investigation of
the cases mentioned above.
The Defender Ms. Anahit Manasyan strongly condemns the
incidents that took place, emphasizing again that the use of disproportionate
force by competent authorities is unacceptable under any circumstances. The
Defender urges the Police to demonstrate restraint and exclude any
manifestation of the use of disproportionate force. The use of force is
possible only in the presence of the grounds established by law, in compliance
with the standards related to proportionality.
At the same time, the organizers and participants of the
protests, in their turn, should demonstrate restraint, maintain the peaceful
nature of the protest, and refrain from any attempt to escalate the situation.
All the registered cases are currently being summarized
at the Defender’s Office, and will be submitted to the General Prosecutor's
Office of Armenia, to make them the subject of investigation.
The hotline numbers of the Defender’s Office are 166 and
(096) 116 100.
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