Levon Yeranosyan Rejects Charges Against Him

Former Deputy Chief of Police and former commander of the police forces of Armenia, Levon Yeranosyan, has issued a statement.

“I, Lieutenant General Levon Yeranosyan, would like to inform the public that I do not accept the charges brought against me as baseless. Throughout my entire service, including during the events that took place in Yerevan on April 16 and 22, 2018, I acted solely in service of Armenia's national and state interests.

The actions of the Police of Armenia, in general, and my actions, in particular, during these events were lawful and fully proportional to the situation that had arisen. Those actions prevented massive clashes between the protesters and police forces; without such actions, it is hard to imagine what consequences our state could have faced. Thanks to the actions of the police, it has been possible to ensure a peaceful and smooth transfer of power, a fact that cannot be denied if one is to be impartial.”

It is noteworthy that Levon Yeranosyan has been charged under parts 2 and 3 of Article 309 of the Criminal Code of Armenia, which relates to intentionally conducting actions that clearly exceed one's authority and cause substantial harm to the rights of individuals and organizations.