Arman Tatoyan: July 29 march didn’t have peaceful goal (video)
On April 2 the HRD Office received 50 reports on cases of distributing electoral bribe and guiding the people; less reports were received than during the Constitutional Referendum. “1000 cases were examined and 100 of them were sent to criminal investigation bodies. The problem is that the claims were very general,” says Human Rights Defender Arman Tatoyan. The human rights activists are sure that filing a lawsuit against “The Union of Informed Citizens” by 30 headmasters is a display of limiting freedom of speech. Arman Tatoyan’s answer is not unequivocal, “Here I support the civil society.” Last year the HRD Office received 5113 application-appeals by the citizens. Only 8 percent of issues received positive solution. Especially July days were very tense for the Ombudsman’s Office. In the annual press conference when touching upon the march of supporters of Sasna Tsrer group on July 29, Arman Tatoyan says that it didn’t have a peaceful goal. “Marching in dark streets in Sari Tagh with the calls that they were going to join the armed group, I think, couldn’t have a peaceful goal” But he admits that on that day the policemen also worked with violations, “Citizens were affected, as a result of use of special measures some children were affected.” The criminal cases of Sasna Tsrer group members and their detained supporters once again displayed weak points of Prosecutor’s Office. Ombudsman records “that structure needs reforms.” “Prosecutor’s control isn’t efficient in Armenia. It wasn’t efficient during those days and continues to be inefficient.” The number of detentions surpasses the limit in Armenia. Person is detained in more than 90 percent of cases. “We don’t have sustainable practice of detention to be applied in exclusive cases and as a last measure. In Armenia the Criminal Procedure Code is in the way, which makes the judge first decide whether to use detention or not and then relate to other precautionary measures. In reality it should be the opposite.” Medical service in penitentiary institutions isn’t independent. The course of reforms in this sphere isn’t satisfactory as well. Arman Tatoyan records, “We should achieve a situation when a prisoner perceives a doctor not as an employee of a prison but as a doctor.” Arman Tatoyan refuted the claims by the relatives of prisoners kept in Nubarashen prison that the HRD Office doesn’t deal with human rights protection on Saturdays and Sundays. If he finds such a case, the lazy employee will be dismissed.
