Police Violated the Law during Occupy Mashtots Park Protests: Human Rights Lawyer

According to human rights lawyer Artur Grigoryan, police broke the law on several occasions while patrolling Mashtots Park where environmental and civic activists for the third week in a row have been protesting the construction of shops in one of the few remaining green spaces in central Yerevan.

Grigoryan, in a statement issued today, asserts that the municipality has opted to implement “its unlawful decision through illegal police repression”. According to him, police while working in Mashtots Park have violated, at the very least, the following laws:

I. Article 1, 5 and 33.2 of Armenia’s Constitution:

Article 1: “The Republic of Armenia is a sovereign, democratic, social state governed by rule of law.”

Article 5: “State and local self-government bodies and public officials are competent to perform only such acts for which they are authorized by the Constitution or laws.”

Article 33.2: “Everyone shall have the right to live in an environment favorable to his/her health and well-being and shall be obliged to protect and improve it in person or jointly with others. The public officials shall be held responsible for hiding information on environmental issues and denying access to it.”

II. Article 5 of the RA Law on Police: “Each time the rights and freedoms of a citizen are restricted, Police employees shall be obliged to immediately present to him/her, in plain and accessible language, the grounds for restriction and explain to him/her his/her rights and duties, as well as assist in exercising his/her rights.

“The Police shall be obliged to enable a person to get familiarised with the documents and materials directly connected with his/her rights and freedoms, if not otherwise foreseen by the law.”

III. Article 10, Paragraph 4, Section b, f, i, jb, and jc of the RA Law on the Disciplinary Procedure of the Armenian Police:

Article 10: “The rules of ethics of police employees are obligatory for police employees just as while performing official duties, so too outside of official duties.

“Paragraph 4: A police employee is obliged

b) to respect the Constitution of the Republic of Armenia and its laws, and the traditions and customs of its people,

f) not to depreciate the prestige of the police and police employees in the name of personal or other individuals’ interests,

i) to know and respect human rights and freedoms, and to show restraint, civilized, decorous and respectful attitude toward citizens,

jb) with his/her demeanor, to promote establishing and maintaining the belief and faith in society that service in the police force is based on the principles of impartiality, honesty and legality,

jc) to place public and state interests higher than personal [interests] and to be dedicated entirely to the job.”