Opposition Activist Claims Armenian Police Chief Personally Beat Him

RA Police Chief Vladimir Gasparyan on the evening of Nov. 5 personally used force against Shant Harutyunyan and Vardan Vardanyan while the two were in police custody, Harutyunyan and Vardanyan informed Armenian National Congress MP Nikol Pashinyan on Wednesday, reports local daily Haykakan Zhamanak.

The opposition MP yesterday met with those detained during the clashes on Mashtots Ave. in central Yerevan. 

"I visited the detention center and met with all 20 arrested in connection with the Nov. 5 incident. Some of the arrested are not eating and are thinking about declaring a hunger strike, but they haven't yet made a final decision, which is why I don't consider it appropriate to identify them. 

"Some of the arrested have injuries. Shant Harutyunyan informed me that Police Chief Vladimir Gasparyan, as well as Deputy Police Chief Hunan Poghosyan, personally used violence against him in the Kentron [police] division. Arrested war veteran Vardan Vardanyan informed me that he too was personally subject to violence by the police chief. He said that the police chief beat him, while other officers yanked his [war] medal off him. Shant Harutyunyan said that Hunan Poghosyan also threatened his son, uttering curses of a sexual nature. Shant said that during that time a group of police officers were restraining his hands. As a MP, I think, there should be a proper investigation on the basis of these allegations," Pashinyan said. 

Pashinyan also said that Shant Harutyunyan doesn't want an attorney. "But I said, if possible I think it's worth it to have an attorney. As for what Shant Harutyunyan will decide, I can't say," he said.

Read the full story in today's issue of Haykakan Zhamanak (in Armenian only).