Any Case of Arrest is Illegal if Minimum Human Rights Are Not Ensured During Detention: Ombudsman

The rapid response teams of the Ombudsman’s office visited various departments of the Police throughout the day. According to information from the Ombudsman’s official Facebook page, "As previously reported, on April 27, the rapid response teams of the Ombudsman conducted visits to various departments of the Yerevan Police, including the Central, Arabkir, Erebuni, Kanaker-Zeytun, Malatia, and Mashtots divisions.

Individual interviews were conducted with 46 detained individuals, and videos of administrative detentions were reviewed. It was also noted that 5 minors were detained by Police departments, one of whom is under the age of 16. Thanks to the Ombudsman’s intervention, no administrative proceedings were initiated against this minor, and he was released immediately.

Published video footage and findings from the Police visits indicated instances of detaining individuals without explaining the grounds for their detention or clarifying their minimum rights (rights to an attorney, to remain silent, and other rights) and the use of excessive force during detentions.

The Ombudsman’s institution has observed, both today and in previous years, that the problematic practices surrounding administrative detentions and arrests are widespread. This has been applied to individuals participating in actions. Such practices must be excluded; any instance of administrative detention or arrest, or any deprivation of liberty is illegal if minimum human rights are not ensured when liberty is deprived.

Furthermore, during the action on Freedom Avenue, there was one reported case of Police officers damaging an individual’s vehicle.

There have also been instances of incomplete entries in the registration logs of detained individuals at Police departments. For example, during a visit to the Kanaker-Zeytun Police department, it was recorded that a person detained under Article 182 of the Administrative Offenses Code of Armenia was released, yet the corresponding entry noting the time of release was missing from the log, despite the person purportedly being familiarized with and confirming the accuracy of the entries.

The identified issues are being compiled within the Ombudsman’s office, and necessary measures will be taken within the scope of the Ombudsman’s authority.

Preliminary findings from the ongoing monitoring of social media and press publications indicate that political actors, both representatives of the ruling and opposition forces, as well as individuals influencing public opinion that supports their political agendas, are using highly condemnable and sometimes extremely provocative language, calling on the public with dangerous rhetoric.

We urge public and political actors to refrain from irresponsible discourse that leads to internal conflict within society and is dangerous and unproductive. Instead, we propose to engage the public agenda and their voters in professional and civil discussions on specific issues.

Additionally, discussions filled with extreme danger are circulating beneath media coverage of political processes, often involving the active participation of fake users, generating hate and sometimes veiled calls for violence.

Emphasizing the vital role of mass media in providing the public with professional, quality, and accurate information, as well as the need to lower the levels of polarized and hate speech in public discourse while fostering substantial discussions, it is necessary for mass media responsible parties to take measures to remove such comments and allocate adequate resources.

In the realm of social media, the Ombudsman also calls on users with an audience to remove posts and calls that display hate and violence (sometimes presented as jokes) under their comments.

The rapid response teams of the Ombudsman’s office continue to conduct 24-hour monitoring, including concerning extremes and manifestations of dangerous speech.