Yesterday, the police officer in civilian clothes cursed ANC activist Tatul Saroyan during a protest on Mashtots Avenue (photo). As told by the activist, when the police officers were dragging them to get into the car, one of the police task force members dressed in civilian clothes also intervened, dragged, and cursed at him for no reason. He told the police officers had illegally wiretapped and pursued them. According to him, there was no way to learn about their protest. “They wiretapped because it was a protest scheduled 15 minutes ago, but the police already knew about it. These authorities are so scared that they had prepared several battalions, and prevented our action, not even started.” As told by Tatul Saroyan, the police task force officers dressed in civilian clothes were also present at the location. He also said that they collected all informing leaflets, and were detained to the police station without reasoning. “I did not even manage to do something, I was caught from the street and detained. Their task was not to see anything posted in the streets before 1 March, they seized our property: leaflets and took away.” To remind that yesterday, at 02:30 pm, 10 ANC activists were apprehended to the Kentron police department from Mashtots avenue for posting informing leaflets about March 1 rally in Yerevan, and conducting a protest with “Serzhik, a state traitor” poster. The activists tried to depict graffiti in the streets with the photograph of Serzh Sargsyan and “Serzhik, a state traitor” poster. The Police department clarifies that the activists were apprehended to the police station for the offence stipulated by the Administrative Offences Code, Article 172.2. (for using the streets, sidewalks and other public places by violating the restrictions defined by administrative acts based on the law, or provided for by the law). As for the wiretapping of activists, being aware of the action in advance, and scuffle, the police deny.
Arpine Simonyan
