Armenian Ombudsman urged to immediately investigate the incident with elderly demonstrator

Armenian Ombudsman Karen Andreasyan has called on law enforcement bodies to immediately conduct an objective investigation and bring the policeman who had slapped an elderly protester to responsibility.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on August 21 Yerevan hosted a rally against the increase of electricity tariff, which turned into clashes of protesters with the police and detentions. Akop Nazaryan, a pensioner, accused a policeman that he slapped him on the face and broke his hearing aid.

Karen Andreasyan has strictly condemned the violence against citizens applied by the police, and, despite the absence of complaints against the policeman named Vardgesyan, initiated an inquiry into the incident on his own initiative.

After the incident with the pensioner, a service check against Vardgesyan was initiated; and Valery Osipyan, Deputy Chief of Yerevan Police, apologized to the public for the actions of Lieutenant Vardgesyan. Ashot Agaronyan, the head of the Information and PR Division of the Armenian Police, said, in his turn, that the police "condemn any justification of Vardgesyan’s actions" and that the latter "will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.