Police of the Republic of Armenia consider it is necessary to emphasize that it has strictly complied with its obligation to support the freedom of peaceful assembly in the limits of its competencies. Hereinafter Police of the Republic of Armenia will continue its activities in this manner, which is determined by the content of Law. On the other hand, the meetings organized by the former presidential candidate Raffi Hovhannisyan is becoming stronger in its illegal tendency, including the tendency to apply the realization of peaceful assembly provided by Criminal Code of the Republic of Armenia depended on the nature of development of situation will become partially or completely meaningless. In such circumstances, the police must be set to its other duties defined by Law. Thus, according to part 1, paragraph 3 of Article 32 “On Freedom of Assembly” of RA Law Police must remove from the venue assembly those who flagrantly violate the normal process of peaceful meeting, if otherwise is not possible to provide it. Obvious that if the assembly organizers or separate participants will try to initiate the concrete actions carrying out activities competencies vested to the President of the Republic of Armenia by Article 55 of Constitution or other actions deriving from these “assuming an alternative method of the powers of the President” then Police will remove from the place of assembly the publicly dangerous perpetrators of such acts and if it is not possible due to large numbers of participants which approve or access to such operations then Police of the Republic of Armenia should terminate the assembly according to part 1 of Article 33 on “On Freedom of Assembly” of RA Law because other way it can not block disproportionate restriction of public interest.
Besides this, Police of the Republic of Armenia is authorized to announce that within the frame of the assembly held on 9th of April in case of march Police will steadily follow the Decision N 70 adopted by the authorized body on 4th of April, 2013 concerning strictly observance of limitations during marches. Hence in order to avoid the inevitable and appropriate intervention of Police and possible clashes, Police of the Republic of Armenia calls to the organizers of the assembly and the participants completely observe the demands of the decision of the authorized body.
Police of the Republic of Armenia considers necessary to emphasize one more time that its support for assemblies will continue only as long as the assembly maintains its peaceful nature and its holding does not limit disproportionately the constitutional rights of others or their public interests and during the meeting illegal, especially publicly dangerous activities or the immediate threat to peaceful assembly, can significantly reduce the possibility of maintaining the guarantee enshrined in the law.
Police of the Republic of Armenia realizes its high responsibility of supporting the normal conduct of peaceful assemblies. But this responsibility must take also the organizers and the participants of these assemblies in their part implementing their responsibilities defined by the law. Otherwise, despite all efforts shown by Police of the Republic of Armenia and the peaceful intentions of the majority of the participants of the assemblies it would be meaningless in practice any authorization supporting such assemblies.
