Thursday, July 28 2016 06:50

Members of Human Rights House Yerevan have issued a joint statement condemning police activities against peaceful citizens, and calling on the police and security services, as well as other stakeholders, to act to ensure the rights and freedoms of citizens are respected and protected.

Statement reads as follows:  "On July 17 in the morning the occupation of Grand Patrol Service station by "Sasna Tsrer" group was followed by persecutions of peaceful civilians by police officers in the streets.

Human Rights House Yerevan condemns the activities of the police against peaceful civilians on 17th and 18th July: in particular illegal detention, torture, keeping more than 3 hours without defining the status, in places not supposed for detention.

Only during July 17th Armenian Police detained more than 140 people in Yerevan, Gyumri and Vanadzor, including at least one minor. It is noteworthy that more than 100 residents of the city were taken to the 1,033 unit of police troops, in some cases keeping people there from 6 to 30 hours. The public has become aware of a case where the family of a civil activist was taken and kept in the police to force the activist to come to police. With these actions the police violated the RA [Republic of Armenia] law and a number of international treaties.

During these days the police, without providing reasonable suspicion, restricted the exercise of freedom of movement, rights to peaceful assembly of citizens, rights to freedom of expression, thus depriving people of their fundamental right to freedom.  Human Rights House Yerevan
-    Declares that no political factor can justify the illegal behavior of police that violates fundamental human rights and freedoms;
-    Demands that the police and National Security Service respect and protect the rights and freedoms of citizens, ruling out the use of weapons, act in legitimate and accountable manner;

-    Calls on all, especially the broadcast media, to act sensitively regarding issues of violation of human rights and freedoms, and to provide full and comprehensive information on these issues, at the same time refraining from targeted discrediting;
-    Calls on human rights defenders, NGOs, public figures and citizens to create a security barrier between police and occupied patrol service station;
-    Demands from Human Rights Defender of Republic of Armenia to assist in creation of security barrier, adequately respond to the situation and make efforts to restore the violated rights of citizens;
-    Calls OSCE office, the embassies of European countries and the embassy of USA, as implementers of projects aiming at transformation and modernization of the Armenian police, to carry out monitoring of police activities.

Under the circumstances, resolving the political situation by use of weapons and at the cost of victims from any of the sides is unacceptable; and the whole responsibility is on the ruling regime." The statement was signed by Human Rights House Yerevan, including:  Sciascope Societal Research and Consultancy Center Journalists Club ''Asparez'' Real World, Real People NGO Helsinki Citizens' Assembly Vanadzor Public Information and Need of Knowledge (PINK Armenia) Women's Resource Center Helsinki Association for Human Rights Joint to the statement:  Coalition Against Women Violence 50/50 Civil Initiative Anna Shahnazaryan "Ecological Right" NGO 

In addition to it, 11 public organizations of Armenia have issued a statement over the standoff and detention of citizens. The organizations condemn the dispersal of the peaceful protests by the Police and detention of activists. The organizations urge the parliament to stop its indifference to the situation and meet extraordinarily to find a way out of the crisis.