Reported Incidents of Disproportionate Use of Physical Force During Gatherings

Under the direct supervision of the Human Rights Defender, five working groups have been active today at the Defender's office in connection with gatherings. Three groups visited police departments in Yerevan, one group conducted observations through media and social networks, and another group carried out legal analysis work.

During visits to police departments, individual interviews were conducted with 33 individuals who were subjected to administrative detention. Their grounds for deprivation of liberty and the state of rights protection were examined, along with the documents prepared by law enforcement agencies in this regard.

No complaints or instances of ill-treatment were recorded concerning the conduct of police officers during their stay at the departments. Reports and publications regarding the disproportionate use of physical force have been noted in four cases; two of them were based on media and social media publications, while the other two were identified during the Human Rights Defender's office visits to police departments.

In all four cases, the reported data on the use of disproportionate physical force were related to the detainment from the street to the police department, including two cases involving the placement into special transport vehicles of the police or within those vehicles.

The Human Rights Defender has acknowledged the published information that a service investigation has been initiated within the police regarding one case. All mentioned issues will remain under the attention of the Human Rights Defender; a constant connection is maintained with the lawyers.