In Armenia, four policemen are accused of beating oppositionists

The Special Investigatory Service has finished investigation on the case of four policemen, accused of using violence to citizens in the course of the events on March 1, 2008, in Yerevan. Their cases have already been sent to the court of general jurisdiction of the communities Tsentr and Nork-Marash of Yerevan. Journalists were told about it by Sona Truzyan, press secretary of the General Public Prosecutor of Armenia.

On the basis of obtained evidences, Arutyunyan and Gukasyan, policemen of the regiment of state security of the Yerevan Department of the Police of Armenia, for using violence to a citizen in the morning on March 1, 2008, in the Square of Freedom with application of a rubber truncheon, were presented charges under part 2, Article 309 of the Criminal code of Armenia: "Excess of official powers, accompanied by use of violence, arms or special means."

The article assumes punishment by imprisonment from two to six years. Similar charges under the same part of the same article for use of violence to two citizens in the Mashtots Avenue were presented to Manukyan and Grigoryan, employees of the same regiment of the Police of Armenia.

The criminal case is accompanied by a video record, on the basis of which these charges were presented. Inspectors received the record from a citizen who, according to Articles 98 and 99 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, is under protection of law enforcement bodies.