Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly-Vanadzor

HCAV has made 9 reports regarding the Police violence against protesters and journalists during protest actions that started in the RA on 25 April 2022. Based on these reports, the second criminal case has already been initiated. 

The Police impeded the participants’ right to peaceful assembly and abused official authorities by using force to groundlessly apprehend protesters, which is inadmissible․ In such cases, inconsistent preliminary investigations entail an environment of impunity, which gives rise to new crimes.   

HCAV made a crime report to the RA Prosecutor General’s Office  regarding cases of the Police using disproportionate force against citizens and MPs who had gathered near the Government’s building in Yerevan on 30 May 2022. The report was based on the following publications “They attacked Yerkir.am editor in a barbaric way and threw him on the ground”, “The policeman in red beret uses brute force against MP Aram Vardevanyan by squeezing his neck (photo), “The policemen hit MP Gegham Manukyan”, “The policemen take violent actions against citizens”, “My hand”, ““Ara” is you” (in Armenian), “The police using force to apprehend protesters”.

1. Maiylyan, PIC Senior Investigator in the RA Anti-Corruption Committee, concluded that the presented materials contained sufficient grounds of policemen exceeding their authorities, and violence, thus a criminal case was initiated under part 2 of Article 309 of the RA Criminal Code (actions by an official which exceed his/her authorities, committed with violence).

Earlier, a criminal case had been initiated  based on a report of HCA Vanadzor regarding violence against journalists and protesters on 2 May 2022.