Epress.am News from Armenia
On the night of November 16th, dozens of policemen raided THEØFFICE club in the middle of a DJ event. The police ordered the music to stop and locked the doors. Over 300 guests and staff members were held inside for over two hours; some were forced to lie on the ground. Everyone was searched without legal grounds.
One witness of the search told Epress.am that the police threatened him, saying that if he refused to assist with the search, they would “put whatever they find on him.”
“It was obvious they were searching for drugs. They were shining flashlights everywhere, including in people’s bags and pockets. Girls on the dance floor were in panic and shock. I saw one guy get pushed to the ground and handcuffed,” said the witness, who asked to remain anonymous.
Following the raid, staff members taken to the police station faced harassment, according to a statement from the club management.
“The authorities claimed that the justification for shutting down THEØFFICE was the discovery of small traces of illegal substances on the floor. This reasoning is both absurd and disproportionate. (…) The law has unfairly targeted cultural institutions, threatening the development of Armenia’s alternative spaces. (…) We are absolutely against, and strongly condemn, the illegal practices of the Yerevan municipality and the Armenian police, who exploit administrative laws as a false excuse to raid clubs without proper regulatory mechanisms or adequate assessment of the objectives and methods used. These actions constitute a shameless violation of our fundamental rights and reflect the old mindset — to create fear and oppress our community. These actions are unacceptable. We will not be silenced and will defend our rights!” the statement to the petition read.
This is the third raid in two years on techno clubs in Yerevan. The first occurred in April 2023, when Poligraph club was raided.
Masked police officers shut down the club, and both staff and visitors were subjected to brutality, humiliation, and trauma under the “justification” of a “war on drugs.” Shortly after, the club was shut down.
The second raid took place at BAN club during a wedding party. In the dressing room, the police claimed to have found a substance resembling drugs. All the wedding guests were taken to the police station, where they were humiliated and beaten. A criminal case was initiated against one woman, but complaints about the police brutality have stalled, and no progress has been made.
“All the loud statements about Armenia becoming a European country and adopting European values are empty and incompatible with such inhuman actions,” said a member of THEØFFICE, speaking to Epress.am.
“This attack followed the firing of heads of law enforcement bodies. I think it was a show to create the impression that the police are doing their job,” said one of the victims.