”Legal Education and Control” NGO strongly condemns today’s events of bringing more than a hundred citizens into the investigation and using force against them by the Police. It is especially worrisome that they did not hesitate to use force against human rights activists and women.
In a state governed by the rule of law, any case of deprivation of liberty and use of force must be adequately justified, proportionate and non-discriminatory.
Meanwhile, the actions of the Police testify that it does not follow even the basic guarantees of the protection of human rights provided by the RA Constitution and laws.
We would like to draw the attention of ambassadors accredited to the Republic of Armenia to the human rights violations during these events.
We are calling you not to pay tribute to the false information spread by the government propaganda machine and assess the situation in the light of international principles of protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms, considering that the influence of the government propaganda machine is quite significant inside your structures and among your staff members. It is essential to assess the situation following your values. This means abstracting from cases of specific individuals and responding to the situation in Armenia appropriately. You should note that criminal cases have become the only tool to silence dissidents and opponents in Armenia now.
Arpine Hovhannisyan
Committee Chair on Protection of Human Rights and Public Affairs Naira Zohrabyan and MP Iveta Tonoyan in the picture