Epress.am News from Armenia
Hitting is a gross violation of legislation; it is the most rejected form in a political sense, said Heritage Party MP and first ombudsman of the Republic of Armenia Larisa Alaverdyan, while speaking to journalists today and, upon Epress.am’s request, commenting on reports of four opposition youth being subject to violence at the hands of police yesterday.
“Still in my 2004 report, I had noted that hitting [assault] in Armenia has become an administrative practice,” said Alaverdyan, who presented the aforementioned report while she was the country’s ombudsman (human rights defender).
The parliamentarian said that serious work must be undertaken with law enforcement bodies, to eliminate such practices.
“Hitting as [a form of] punishment is not defined in the Republic of Armenia legislation. Hitting is an obvious violation of the law. Torture is one of man’s most unpleasant and filthy special manifestations,” she said, adding that even if a citizen is guilty, assault by police must be excluded.