Chief of Police of the Republic of Armenia Valery Osipyan, responding to Aravot.am’s question of whether he supports or objects to Sasna Tsrer’s release due to the fact that he was held prisoner by Sasna Tsrer, said, “After the notorious events of 2016, I have stated my opinion many times. I even said it during my testimonies during preliminary investigations. As the head of a law enforcement agency, and as a police officer, I think that everyone who committed a crime needs to be held responsible.”
He said that he shared the fears and opinions of the family members of those who were killed. “We lost friends, we lost some of our very best, and at the moment, the clemency text says that the opinions of those held prisoner need to be taken into consideration. I support that.”
When asked if he opposed the clemency act while it was being accepted, he answered that he expressed his opinion during a private session of government. When asked if this means that his opinion was not taken into consideration, Osipyan said, “I am satisfied with the text of the act.”
There are fears that as a result of the clemency act, the crime rate in the country will rise due to the fact that approximately 6,500 people are eligible for pardoning. Osipyan said that there are definitely risks and it’s not unlikely that some of these people will commit crimes again. But he welcomed the clemency act and said that it’s an act of humanitarianism.
He said, “I don’t exclude the fact that many have changed, but I also don’t exclude the possibility of some crimes being committed again. We already have that experience and our responsibility is to prevent such things. We will carry out prolific activities.”
Hripsime Jebejyan
