‘The Citizen Should Not Have Been Detained, But Rather Alen Simonian’ – Lawyer

The individual to be detained should not have been citizen Karen Mkrtchyan, who claims that National Assembly President Alen Simonian spat on him, but rather Alen Simonian himself. This was stated by Mkrtchyan's lawyer Sergey Harutyunyan in an interview with NEWS.am.

“I understand the police’s cowardice given Alen Simonian's position and persona, but at the very least, they could have called him in for questioning or responded differently to the incident. Detaining a person who is the victim of violence, who has been attempted to be demeaned, who has been spat on, is neither morally understandable nor legally justifiable, and I can say that it has crossed all boundaries,” Harutyunyan said.

According to the lawyer, the police detained Mkrtchyan for the purpose of establishing his identity, which he claims is also without grounds. Furthermore, he noted that at the police station, there was difficulty in allowing the lawyer to have a private conversation with Mkrtchyan, despite this being a legally guaranteed right.

“Police officers used violence against him, knocked him to the ground; there was no basis for detaining him. Rather, it carried a punitive nature. By the same reasoning, anyone on the street could be approached and questioned for identity if they do not have their passport with them. Karen Mkrtchyan should have only been invited to be recognized as a victim, since Alen Simonian attempted to demean his person. Furthermore, if it is confirmed that bodyguards indeed restrained the citizen, those officers should also be held accountable because their function is to protect a public official, not to use violence on orders,” the lawyer stated.

The lawyer also indicated that they are still discussing whether to file a report with the police, but added that the citizen’s statements are sufficient for the Prosecutor’s Office to initiate proceedings.

“The proceedings should be initiated under the article on hooliganism because what Alen Simonian did is a classic manifestation of hooliganism, an infringement against society and an attempt to demean a person, and secondly, for exceeding authority by a public official. There should have been a criminal case under several articles, and several individuals should have been interrogated,” emphasized Sergey Harutyunyan.

It should be recalled that yesterday, on March 3, citizen Karen Mkrtchyan reported on his Facebook page that National Assembly President Alen Simonian ordered his bodyguards to detain him and spat on him after Karen called Alen Simonian a traitor. Later, Simonian did not deny the incident in a Facebook post.

“Prepare for the repercussions for your impudence; there will be a legal response to offending the legitimate authorities of Armenia,” Simonian wrote.