{"id":266158,"date":"2015-06-23T10:30:27","date_gmt":"2015-06-23T06:30:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.epress.am\/?p=266158"},"modified":"2015-06-23T10:31:28","modified_gmt":"2015-06-23T06:31:28","slug":"mass-arrests-in-armenian-capital-accompanied-by-police-profanity-and-harassment-video","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/epress.am\/en\/2015\/06\/23\/mass-arrests-in-armenian-capital-accompanied-by-police-profanity-and-harassment-video.html","title":{"rendered":"Mass Arrests in Armenian Capital Accompanied by Police Profanity and Harassment (Video)"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tAccording to information available to “Union of Informed Citizens” NGO, Armenian police detained more than 200 people on Tuesday as they dispersed a protest sit-in<\/span><\/a> against the hike in electricity prices on Yerevan's central Baghramyan Avenue, not far from the RA Presidential Residence. As a result, all of the police stations in the capital were filled, and some of the detainees were taken to stations in the towns of Abovyan and Ashtarak.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tGala TV reporter Paylak Fahradyan, who was released earlier, said in an interview with Epress.am that he was physically attacked by police during the clashes<\/span><\/a>, sustaining neck and arm injuries.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t“They dragged me, beat unsparingly. I yelled that I was a journalist, I had a microphone in my hand, but they were not interested. In addition to police, plainclothes men took an active part in these activities as well. Me and a group of demonstrators were forcefully put into a police car and taken to the station. I did not testify, and am now returning to the office,” Fahradyan said. \n<\/p>\n

\n\tEpress.am cameraman Tigran Hakobyan also received a blow to the head with a baton and was detained to Kentron Police Department in Yerevan. \n<\/p>\n

\n\tThe beatings and mass arrests were accompanied by harassment and abusive language. Lragir.am reporter Tehmine Yenoqyan managed to film one such episode.\n<\/p>\n

\n\tOne of the hundreds of plainclothes officers mouthed profanities, such as “suck my d*ck,” towards the journalist. However, law enforcement officers standing nearby, including Deputy Yerevan Police Chief Karen Movsisyan, did not react to what was happening in any way. \n<\/p>\n

\n\tVideo in Armenian<\/em>\n<\/p>\n

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