AI: Armenia's authorities are tougher to participants of rallies

In 2015, Armenian authorities repeatedly resorted to violent dispersal of peaceful rallies; and organizers of such actions were detained and criminally prosecuted on dubious charges. This is stated in the annual report of the Amnesty International (AI).

According to the AI, in 2015, Armenia saw a marked growth of protest actions, because of a number of social and political problems, as well as of authorities' attempts to take tough measures against organizers and participants of such actions.

The country's most violent protests took place in June, caused by the scheduled increase in electricity tariffs, and in October, caused by amendments to the Constitution, which may allow the incumbent country's president to remain in power after his second term in office.

Let us remind you that in October 2015 President of Armenia appointed the constitutional referendum for December 6. The preparation thereto was at the background of protests held by opponents to amendments to the current Constitution.

Law enforcement bodies repeatedly detained participants of mostly peaceful assemblies and actions, and used excessive force, says the AI.

Apart from the dispersal of the action in Bagramyan Avenue in Yerevan in June 2015, the police also used force against demonstrators in Gyumri in January 2015, after a massacre of the Avetisyan, on suspicion of which a Russian serviceman was detained.

As on the end of 2015, the inquiry into the above clashed was not yet completed, the AI's report states.

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