Police Officials Who Threatened Opposition Activists Should be Punished: HAK Representative

Representative of the Armenian National Congress (HAK) foreign affairs committee Vladimir Karapetyan, meeting with journalists in Yerevan today, spoke of the political crisis and tension in the country, particularly touching upon reported attempts by police officials to hinder the activities of HAK activists who were informing the public of Thursday’s rally.

“That day, when [Armenian President] Serzh Sargsyan at PACE [Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe] was speaking of tolerance, reforms, a new atmosphere, and police reforms, police officials were hindering HAK activists in the process of informing [the public] of the rally,” he said.

Recall, on Jun. 22 police reportedly asked HAK activists to not post rally flyers on telephone poles in the Armenian capital, while afterwards, according to the activists, police officials tore down the flyers that had been posted. Then on Jun. 25, four youth HAK activists — Sargis Gevorgyan, Vahagn Gevorgyan, Sargis Khachatryan and David Kiramijyan — were picked up by police and taken into custody while they were distributing flyers. They were subsequently released, but not after being warned not to chant insults in the president’s name (specifically referring to the chant, “Serzhik, go away!”).

With regard to the last incident, Karapetyan stated that Yerevan Deputy Police Chief Robert Melkonyan and Kentron (“Center”) Police Chief Sargis Martirosyan made a “obviously unlawful” demand of the young activists while they were in police custody.

“I think, for the authorities to prove that they really do want to reform, they have to respond properly and punish those police officers,” he said.