HAK Activist Vardges Gaspari Says He was Detained then Forcibly Removed from Police Station

Armenian National Congress member, activist Vardges Gaspari was detained and taken to Yerevan Kentron (“Center”) police division today.

As told to Epress.am by Gaspari himself, he was standing outside the government building when police officers, wanting to create a wider corridor for Armenian police chief Alik Sargsyan to pass through, began pushing people staging various protest demonstrations. Gaspari was one of the people pushed, after which he shouted, “Keep your hands off, hooligan!” Apparently officers received an order to detain him and promptly took him to the station.

According to Gaspari, at the police station, he answered no questions, after which he was told he could go. The activist then refused to leave the building, noting that he was unlawfully detained and demanding the police not note this in his record.

“The police refused to do that, after which forcefully holding my hands and feet they took me outside of the police station. I was prepared to go to the president’s residence and, as an equivalent response to detaining me and not issuing a notice [of the unlawful detainment], stage a protest, but having another more important appointment, I was unable to do this this time,” he said.