Police Exit Vehicle for Natural Needs, Masked Individuals Arrive: Details

Member of the NA "I Have Honor" faction, Tavush Tovmasyan, stated: "I just met with a group of MPs with the approval of (or directly from) the police band, the citizen Samuel Vardanyan who was beaten. He is currently in the detention center of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Armenia. Within 72 hours, he must either be released or detained, for which there are no grounds.

But what happened to the citizen on the way from the Investigative Committee of Armenia to the detention facility is beyond human imagination. Samuel was in the police car handcuffed, and the escorts stopped the vehicle under the pretext of needing to satisfy natural needs at a distance of 300 meters. They got out, leaving the detainee alone in the car.

A few seconds later, the door opened, and two masked individuals in civilian clothes dragged him out of the car to a dark area where nothing was visible in the capital Yerevan, threw him to the ground, insulted him, threatened him, beat him, tortured him, and humiliated his dignity in the most despicable way, before literally throwing him back into the car.

Two minutes later, the accompanying police officers returned as if nothing had happened and got back into the car, continuing their journey. Of course, they inquired why Samuel was out of breath, but they callously took him to the detention center. What occurred is a flagrant abuse of power, even if the MP from the ruling party were to be severely offended. There is a punishment prescribed in the civil code for this.

The citizen has already been arrested, charged under the hooliganism article, and detained, but he was also beaten while in handcuffs, degrading his dignity. This is unacceptable, condemnable, and must be punished severely. I have already sent letters regarding this matter to the embassies accredited in Armenia and to global organizations involved in human rights protection. The police officers accompanying the citizen and the armed gang must be punished."