Ombudsman sent a letter
Press secretary of the RA Ombudsman Tsovinar Khachatryan today told "A1+" that RA Ombudsman Karen Andreasyan has sent a letter to RA Chief of Police Alik Sargsyan.
In his letter, the RA Ombudsman pleads an impartial investigation of the clash between police officers and NA "Heritage" faction MPs in front of the government building on March 3 by taking into account not only the police officers' testimonies, but those of eyewitnesses as well.
Press release of the Ombudsman's Office
"On 3 March 2011, the RA Ombudsman's Office received a message regarding human rights violations and police officers' exceeding their powers during a peaceful demonstration organized by citizens protesting against the street trade ban and NA "Heritage" faction MPs in front of the government building. RA Ombudsman Karen Andreasyan and the rapid reaction team left for the Republic Square, but they didn't notice police officers and citizens committing illegal acts. The NA deputies informed the Ombudsman that the police officers had impeded the citizens' right to holding a peaceful demonstration and, as they say, applied force against the protesters and the deputies with immunity.
We would like to inform that the "Heritage" faction MPs didn't provide further details regarding the incident during the conversation with the RA Ombudsman, meaning that the Ombudsman can't provide further information to the police.
The RA Ombudsman has asked RA Chief of Police A. Sargsyan to follow up on the complete, multifaceted revelation of the circumstances of the incident that took place. The Ombudsman particularly suggested taking into account not only the police officers' testimonies, but also those of the eyewitnesses during the investigation.
K. Andreasyan has also asked A. Sargsyan to give clarifications about the incident and provide information regarding the process of the examination and the results as soon as possible," as stated in the press release of the RA Ombudsman's Office.
