Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly-Vanadzor

On 3 May 2023, HCAV addressed a letter to the Prosecutor’s Office regarding non-implementation of investigation in the frame of Poligraf’s case. The letter reads as follows:

On 27․04․2023, based on a citizen’s written application, our organization made a crime report to initiate criminal proceedings regarding the Police raid into Poligraf club on 24 April 2023, at around 1 a.m., and their illegal activities against the club staff and visitors, in particular, torture, degrading treatment, physical and psychological violence. At the same time, the crime report has enclosed materials of the RA Police officers confirming the fact of crime commission, which were taken from mass media publications published on the internet, as well as those provided by Poligraf club personnel in the form of the full video recording of the incident. 

In addition to the submitted crime report, on 02․05․2023, an enclosed letter was submitted to the RA Prosecutor General’s Office in order to give another citizen the status of victim in the frame of criminal proceedings to be initiated in the same case, taking into account the condition that he was subjected to torture and degrading treatment by the RA Police officers, was strip searched in the Police station and subjected to various threats.

Thus, around a week has passed since the report was made, however, instead of performing their obligations established by law, i.e., immediately initiating criminal proceedings upon receiving a report on a prima facie crime, the RA Prosecutor General’s Office has not responded to the crime report in any way so far. Taking into account the condition that all this is about mass violations of the Convention and constitutional absolute right to be free from torture and the principle of prohibition of torture by the RA Police, the total indifference and inaction manifested by the RA Prosecutor General’s Office towards public violations of inalienable human rights becomes more evident.

Summing up the aforementioned, I demand that criminal proceedings be initiated based on the proper report about a prima facie crime and an objective, complete and comprehensive investigation be conducted to guarantee justice, the obligation of which the RA has undertaken under both domestic and international legal acts.

Read the full letter in Armenian.