Police's crackdown on night protest in Yerevan aimed at punishing its participants
23.06.2015,
18:50
The police's crackdown on the night protest in Yerevan was aimed at punishing their participants, Ara Ghazaryan, foreign affairs expert, said in an interview with Sputnik-Armenia Radio.
YEREVAN, June 23. /ARKA/. The police's crackdown on the night protest in Yerevan was aimed at punishing their participants, Ara Ghazaryan, foreign affairs expert, said in an interview with Sputnik-Armenia Radio.
«There was a great number of policemen dressed as ordinary people,» he said. «As a rule, such a camouflage is used in combating organized crimes, but people here was in a peaceful protest,» he said. «I don't say that there was no expression of hatred here, the protesters blocked the city's central avenue, but such actions were too irrelevant to this case. It means, as a whole, the force applied was not necessary.»
The expert, however, stressed that the police have right to apply force, he even said that this proctice is used all over the world.
He thinks that Armenia is a member of the European fold, and therefore finds comparison with European criteria more relevant than comparison with American criteria.
Ghazaryan said that the police were trying to look adequate –« they were warning protesters and negating with them, but some actions revealed that their real goal was to punish the demonstrators».
Now, he said, continuation is expected. «If criminal cases are opened, this will be extremely inadequate interference,» he said.
The prosecutor offices of Yerevan's districts of Arabkir and Kanaker-Zeytun opened criminal cases against some participants of the peaceful protest. They are charged with hooliganism.
In early morning on Tuesday, the police chased away Armenian citizens who gathered in Baghramyan Avenue in Yerevan in a protest against the electricity price increase.
Some 240 protesters were taken to police stations. Some people were reportedly injured.
The decision to raise electricity price by 6.93 drams or 16.7% comes into force on August 1. ---0----
«There was a great number of policemen dressed as ordinary people,» he said. «As a rule, such a camouflage is used in combating organized crimes, but people here was in a peaceful protest,» he said. «I don't say that there was no expression of hatred here, the protesters blocked the city's central avenue, but such actions were too irrelevant to this case. It means, as a whole, the force applied was not necessary.»
The expert, however, stressed that the police have right to apply force, he even said that this proctice is used all over the world.
He thinks that Armenia is a member of the European fold, and therefore finds comparison with European criteria more relevant than comparison with American criteria.
Ghazaryan said that the police were trying to look adequate –« they were warning protesters and negating with them, but some actions revealed that their real goal was to punish the demonstrators».
Now, he said, continuation is expected. «If criminal cases are opened, this will be extremely inadequate interference,» he said.
The prosecutor offices of Yerevan's districts of Arabkir and Kanaker-Zeytun opened criminal cases against some participants of the peaceful protest. They are charged with hooliganism.
In early morning on Tuesday, the police chased away Armenian citizens who gathered in Baghramyan Avenue in Yerevan in a protest against the electricity price increase.
Some 240 protesters were taken to police stations. Some people were reportedly injured.
The decision to raise electricity price by 6.93 drams or 16.7% comes into force on August 1. ---0----
