Observer at election of Yerevan Mayor arrested in Armenia

Arshaluis Akopyan, a photo journalist of the website of the Helsinki Association and a member of a human rights NGO, who acted as an observer at election of Yerevan Mayor on May 31, was arrested on June 5 in Armenia and charged under Article 316, part 1, of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Armenia (CC RA): "Resistance to power officials".

As reported in the promulgated statement of Mikael Danielyan, chairman of the Helsinki Association of Armenia, on May 31, Mr Akopyan arrived, as a member of the Association's group of observers, to polling station No. 8/23 in community Malatsia-Sebastia of the city of Yerevan, where the chair of the electoral commission forbade them to observe. The group was driven out of the building; the door of the station was closed; and the observers were warned about possible physical execution. Arshaluis Akopyan made a statement on that occasion about a committed crime, which was sent to the head of the Special Investigatory Department of the General Prosecutor's Office of the Republic of Armenia (SID GPO RA).

"In the morning on June 5, Mr Akopyan was telephoned and invited to appear and give evidences. He refused saying that he would come only against an official summon. Later, two policemen came to Akopyan's house, entered the bedroom, woke him up and presented a summon from the SID GPO RA, which had no indications of Akopyan's status, number and title of the criminal case," runs Mr Danielyan's statement.

"Arshaluis Akopyan refused to sign the summon saying that it was illegal. In their turn, policemen tried to urge him to sign the document," Mikael Danielyan continued. "He asked them to leave his house, but the policemen called additional force and violently brought Akopyan to the police station."

His statement further runs that at the police station of Yerevan's community Kentron Akopyan was beaten and exposed to inhuman treatment. "After interrogation, where he refused to evidence, and a confrontment Akopyan was placed into pre-trial cell," runs the statement of chairman of the Helsinki Association.

On June 6, the first instance court of the Kentron and Nork-Marsh communities of Yerevan satisfied inspectors' petition: Arshaluis Akopyan was arrested.