Armenian Ombudsperson criticizes police actions

The police act aggressively while detaining people at protest actions in Armenia, and a number of activists have been injured, Ombudsperson Kristine Grigoryan reports.

The “Caucasian Knot” has reported that since April 25, the opposition in Armenia has been protesting demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan after he announced his readiness to “lower the bar” on the status of Nagorno-Karabakh. On May 3, activists announced the holding of protest actions in Yerevan. Today, protesters have blocked the Kiev bridge.

The rapid response team of the Ombudsperson’s Office visited more than 125 detainees in Yerevan police stations and over 10 people in Gegarkunik police stations, explaining to detainees their rights, Armenian Ombudsperson Kristine Grigoryan announced.

“Sometimes, the police dragged protesters to service cars, causing them bodily injuries, including fractures. Policemen unreasonably twisted arms of the detainees, escorting them head down to service cars,” the Ombudsperson noted on Facebook*.

The Ombudswoman added that there were cases of detentions of protesters for failure to obey the police, although the activists complied with the demands of the police and unblocked the streets.

The “Caucasian Knot” has reported that on May 2, Armenian Ombudsperson Kristine Grigoryan also pointed out violations during the detention of activists. In particular, opposition supporters are being detained in Yerevan without any explanation. The actions are peaceful, and mass detentions are unfounded, the opposition notes.

* On March 21, the Tverskoi Court of Moscow banned the activities in Russia of the Meta Company, owning Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, in connection with extremist activities.