Scandalous Policemen Return Amid Controversies

The newspaper "Joghovourd" writes: "On October 19, 2019, we addressed the scandalous appointments in the Police Department. The matter involves police chiefs who were at the center of a noisy incident and were dismissed by the former head of the Armenian Police, Vladimir Gasparyan, are returning to the system. In particular, police chiefs who were involved in a scandalous incident in the Syunik region were spreading rumors in the region that they had been close to the current head of the Armenian Police, had been classmates, and were preparing to return to the system.
One of them was Gevorg Azizyan, the former police chief of Goris. It turned out that the acting head of the Armenian Police, Arman Sargsyan, is returning police chiefs who have been involved in scandalous stories, crossing out their previous misconduct. In other words, being a friend, acquaintance, or classmate has once again prevailed here. As a result, Azizyan was appointed.
So, what story was Azizyan involved in? In 2016, he physically assaulted his deputy's brother, Arthur Gevorgyan, who had been unjustly arrested, and after a scandalous video published by "Joghovourd" newspaper, Arthur Gevorgyan was acquitted, whereas police chief Azizyan was merely dismissed from his position. Shortly after, Azizyan was returned to the system, but another incident followed involving him. The nephew of the former governor of Syunik, Surik Khachatryan, Edmon Khachatryan, reported to law enforcement that Azizyan had assaulted him. Following this publication, Azizyan was dismissed again. Yet, after the revolution, Gevorg Azizyan was appointed as the head of the Police Department of Syunik region. However, ever since Azizyan's appointment, tensions in Syunik have not calmed down, and the police have chosen their own approach to their duties.
Particularly, in recent days, an incident was recorded between citizens and police employees in Sisian, prompting a service investigation appointed by the head of the Armenian Police, Arman Sargsyan. Residents of Sisian filed a report with the Special Investigation Service regarding the actions of Acting Police Chief Garik Muradyan. Based on the complaints of Sisian residents, the Special Investigation Service initiated two criminal cases under Articles 309 (2) (exceeding official authority with violence) and 308 (1) (using one's official position against the interests of service or failing to perform service duties) and Article 309.1 (characteristics of torture) of the Criminal Code of Armenia. The matter reached Kapani police, where residents of Kajaran were arrested and again subjected to violence by Kapani police, and photos of the assaulted young men were published. In this regard, a service investigation has been initiated in the police department. Judging by the situation, the heads of various subdivisions in Syunik have adopted the operational style of Police Chief Gevorg Azizyan and are trying to resolve issues through violence."