15:54, 1 June 2022

Armenian Ombudsperson notes increase in violence during protests

The police detains an activist. Photo by Tigran Petrosyan for the "Caucasian Knot"

Kristine Grigoryan, the Armenian Ombudsperson, has stated that protesters in Yerevan are increasingly injured due to the use of unlawful force by the police. In his turn, a deputy head of the police reported six hospitalized law enforcers.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on May 30, the police reported on 111 detainees for hooliganism during a rally held near the government building in Yerevan. Oppositionists claimed that policemen used excessive force during detentions.

Since April 25, the Armenian opposition has been holding protests demanding the resignation of the country's Prime Minister, Nikol Pashinyan.

"Compared to the previous days of protests, the number of cases of bodily injuries – from abrasions and scratches to fractures – as a result of law enforcers' use of unlawful physical force has increased by an order of magnitude. There were also complaints about blows to the head during detention," the Ombudsperson, Kristine Grigoryan, has written on the Facebook* while also condemning the violence against law enforcers.

The Ombudsperson pointed out the unacceptability of using force against MPs, whom they tried to detain. According to her story, MPs are endowed with immunity.

However, she treats the use special means, including handcuffs, by policemen during detentions as justified.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on May 31, 2022 at 08:40 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.

Author: Tigran Petrosyan

Source: CK correspondent