Police Seizes Awarded Weapon from Former Military Prosecutor

The former Deputy Chief of Police and lawyer Hovhannes Kocharyan has stated, “The police have taken away my only awarded weapon, which was given to me with ownership rights. I was awarded the weapon by the former chief of the Armenian police, the late Hayk Harutyunyan, for my contribution to the first legal reforms in the police force.

The weapon that rightfully belongs to me has been seized on the grounds of not presenting medical documents within the prescribed time that certify the absence of diseases and conditions that impede weapon ownership. I will not address this unconstitutional legal provision—it is pointless. It turned out that a separate ‘disqualifying’ procedure with unknown legal grounds has been established to confirm the absence of IMPEDING CONDITIONS, thus placing the burden of proof on the owner to ‘prove that you are not mentally ill, an addict, deaf, or blind.’ Not being listed in narcological and psychiatric registries is not considered sufficient evidence.

I have formally suggested that my weapon not be damaged or destroyed, and instead of returning it to me as a toy, it should be handed over to the police educational complex for use in training purposes.”