No offensive expressions were directed at either the person or the residents of Nagorno-Karabakh, Ministry of Internal Affairs clarifies

The Ministry of Internal Affairs has issued a clarification stating, "On August 1, a user on the social media platform 'Facebook' published a video titled 'Approximately 10 patrol officers brutally beat my brother under the pretext of parking in a prohibited area and transported him to the police station with various fractures.' The post also mentioned that the brother allegedly suffered 'fractures in his hand and finger joints.' After the publication, some social media users commented that 'the violence was accompanied by numerous insults directed not only at the mentioned man but also towards all residents of Artsakh.'

An internal security and anti-corruption department inquiry investigated the recordings from the video surveillance cameras attached to the patrol officers as well as those in adjacent areas. It was found that during the arrest on reasonable suspicion and the subsequent transfer to the Arabkir police department, the individual in question had not been subjected to beatings, had no fractures, and neither he nor the residents of Nagorno-Karabakh were subjected to any offensive expressions. The arrest was carried out not by 10 patrol officers, as claimed in the post, but by a single team consisting of two officers.

During the arrest, the man had struck and resisted the officers. A criminal case has been initiated regarding the incident. The clearly false information published by certain users reportedly aims to target the patrol service, mislead the public, and create the impression that the police have a particularly negative attitude towards our compatriots forcibly displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh.

We call on everyone to refrain from spreading false and manipulative information, which, in some cases, aims to divide society. The police of the Ministry of Internal Affairs carry out their functions as prescribed by law, without bias. Armenia is a legal state where everyone is equal before the law."