Court Rules Interior Ministry Must Provide Information on Special Measures Used Against Protesters

The Administrative Court has ordered the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) to provide information to a non-governmental organization regarding the number of Police troops that reported on the special measures applied during the gathering at the intersection of Baghramyan and Demirchyan streets in Yerevan on June 12, 2024. Specifically, the court mandated details on how many special measures each officer employed and what those measures were.

The MIA had previously withheld this information, citing that a criminal investigation was underway. According to the report by Hetq, on July 16, 2024, Araks Melkonyan, President of the NGO “Human Rights Protection Without Borders,” submitted a written request to the MIA for the aforementioned details. The MIA responded in writing, stating that due to the initiation of criminal proceedings, one must turn to the investigative body to obtain the relevant information.

The NGO interpreted this response as a refusal to provide information and subsequently filed a lawsuit in the Administrative Court. In court, it was established that in previous years, information regarding special measures applied by the RA Police during gatherings, including the quantity and type of measures and the number of police officers who reported these actions, had been provided by law enforcement, regardless of whether criminal proceedings were initiated.

As evidence, several documents related to special measures used by police during gatherings in Yerevan in July 2016, along with reports submitted by police officers, were presented. The court therefore noted that the MIA had not provided any legitimate justification for failing to disclose the requested information.

The Administrative Court found sufficient legal and factual grounds to compel the ministry to provide the requested information, as there were no legislative bases for refusing to grant any of the information requested.

The Interior Ministry must pay 10,000 drams to the NGO “Human Rights Protection Without Borders” as reimbursement for the state duty previously paid. The court's decision can be appealed to the Court of Cassation within one month.