Police Clarifies Actions in Response to Tehmine Vardanian's Claims

The police of Armenia has responded to the statements made by Tehmine Vardanian, a member of the Yerevan City Council from the 'Lus' faction, regarding police actions at the address of Aghbyur Serob 11/2.

The police clarified: “Facebook user Tehmine Vardanian has again posted a message on her page alleging illegal activities and abuse of authority by police officers in one of the buildings of the Arabkir administrative district. In this regard, the Police of Armenia once again clarifies that, without publishing the residential address, the owner’s details, or personal information of individuals present there without legal grounds, we consider it necessary to clarify the police officers' actions concerning non-professional information that is primarily irrelevant to the legal sphere and the factual circumstances of the case.

In this particular situation, guided by the current legal regulations, especially the requirements of the Government of Armenia's decision No. 797-N dated 10.05.2007, police officers, based on the request of the legal owner of the property and following the legally issued warrant, established the lack of legal grounds for individuals residing on the property and provided a reasonable time frame for voluntarily vacating the premises. However, the individuals in question have not complied with the lawful demands of the police and refused to leave the property.

Moreover, the course of the mentioned actions has been documented in accordance with established procedures, and the legality of the actions of the territorial subdivisions of the police has been verified in connection with an administrative complaint addressed to the Chief of the Police of Armenia, leading to the initiation of an investigation.

Regarding the comment that eviction could only be carried out based on a court decision by the Enforcement Service of Judicial Acts, we clarify that judicial eviction and the removal of trespassers are two independent and non-exclusive legal regimes (legal tools) provided by the Civil Code of Armenia, the choice of which is reserved for the legal owner of the property. In the first case, it pertains to the demand for eviction presented to the court through litigation, while in the second case, it concerns the right of the legal owner to authorize the police directly (extrajudicially) for the purpose of removing trespassers.

We firmly urge individuals to refrain from making unfounded and emotional evaluations of police activities within the legal sphere and to draw final conclusions only after a thorough study of the relevant legislation.”

It is noteworthy that Tehmine Vardanian had previously shared a video claiming: “The police have no regard for the law. Dear media outlets, at this moment the police are carrying out illegal actions.”