Police Detained Without Identification and Using Force: Zohrabyan

According to the Law on Freedom of Gatherings and the Law on Police, when a police officer sees a citizen participating in a protest, they are obligated to first identify themselves, then find out what the matter is, communicate with the organizer of the gathering, and if they determine that it is illegal, they must issue a demand to disperse the gathering while providing a reasonable timeframe.

In an interview with journalists after leaving the Central Police Department, member of the Freedom Movement initiative group and lawyer Ara Zohrabyan summarized these laws. He was detained by the police during a demonstration aimed at blocking the street.

“After that period elapses, the police can issue a demand to disperse twice, and if not followed, force may be applied,” he stated. Zohrabyan explained that in his case, a police car stopped, officers got out, approached him without introducing themselves, and immediately used physical force against him, unlawfully detaining him.

Ara Zohrabyan emphasized that this is a clear example of illegally detaining citizens and a disregard for human rights. The lawyer also spoke about the “unhealthy atmosphere” prevailing in the Central Police Department. “People in civilian clothes, various police uniforms, and half-dressed individuals approach citizens, asking why they aren’t wearing a mask, or why they are not doing this or that, without identifying themselves. When you ask them to show their credentials, they do not comply. This behavior of the police is not new,” he noted.

He emphasized that from now on, they will also address the illegal actions of the police, asserting that it is not the 1990s anymore. “Imagine, today we, the lawyers, have an issue with the protection of rights. Not to mention how we are going to defend our clients. But no one can intimidate a lawyer with police force,” Ara Zohrabyan stated.

According to him, the police had been instructed to disperse their demonstration. “We were protesting to show our disagreement, insisting that Nikol Pashinyan does not have the authority to negotiate on our behalf or to make or sign any agreement contrary to our interests,” said Ara Zohrabyan, a member of the Freedom Movement initiative group.