Police Do Not Return Vehicle Belonging to Member of the "Homeland" Party's Father's Company, Says Lawyer

Yesterday, the police detained citizen Emil Sargsyan from Baghramyan Avenue, and they also took a vehicle belonging to his father's company, which has not been returned until now. This was reported to Hetq by lawyer Arsen Mkrtchyan.

According to the lawyer, Emil Sargsyan, who was on Baghramyan Avenue, approached the police officers on duty there and reported that there were provocateurs in the area, asking them to remove them. “One of the police officers said, ‘Who are you? Show your documents,’ and then pushed Emil. A confrontation ensued, with the police asking who Emil was to make such claims. During this time, Emil asked the driver to bring a cigarette from the car, the driver brought the cigarette and handed it to Emil, and then the decision was made to detain Emil,” Mkrtchyan recounted, adding that Emil was taken to the Arabkir police station.

According to the lawyer, when Emil saw that the vehicle was being taken to the station, he told the police to take the driver as well, but only the vehicle was taken, even though representatives of the traffic police stated that there were no issues regarding the car. Arsen Mkrtchyan stated that Sargsyan was held at the police station for five hours instead of the legally permitted three, and after five hours, Emil called him requesting legal assistance. The lawyer went to the Arabkir police station, requested to be involved in the case, and demanded the protocol for Emil’s detention, but he was not allowed to participate in the proceedings.

According to Mkrtchyan, the police department informed him that Sargsyan had been taken there five hours earlier but had no legal status. Afterwards, both the lawyer and Sargsyan left the Arabkir station.

The lawyer noted that when they wanted to leave the police station, the deputy head of the Arabkir department told them to go and check Sargsyan’s sobriety, then return. However, Mkrtchyan stated that they did not intend to participate in any action without being involved in any proceedings.

The vehicle belonging to Sargsyan’s father’s company was not returned to him, and later that same day, Arsen Mkrtchyan returned to the police station to file a request for its return, presenting both the owner’s request and his lawyer’s certificate.

The duty officer stated, “I have nothing to do with it,” while the head of the investigative department and the investigator indicated, “We have nothing to do with it.” In the 24 hours, not a single official connected with that vehicle was identified,” said Arsen Mkrtchyan, simultaneously noting that he had verified and found no case regarding any incident related to the vehicle.

The lawyer also filed a complaint with the Office of the Human Rights Defender regarding Sargsyan being held at the police station for five hours, and the police responded to the Human Rights Defender's office that the detained individual was not adequate and was inebriated, thus they kept him for some time to let him calm down. For more details, refer to the original source.