Investigation into Torture by Police Officers Concludes

The investigation into a criminal case regarding the torture of an individual by officers of the Patrol Service has been completed by the Investigative Committee of Armenia's especially important cases related to torture and abuse of office. This was reported by the Investigative Committee.

“During the pre-investigation of the criminal case, it was revealed that on August 11, 2022, Patrol Service officers conducted an administrative procedure against a citizen for driving a vehicle while intoxicated. During this time, the driver's passenger exited the vehicle and approached the officers, intervening in their administrative actions by urging the driver to get back in the car.

Two officers demanded the citizen not to intervene in the exercise of their official duties, but the citizen did not comply with the legal requirement, continuing to obstruct their actions. As a result, the patrol officers subjected the citizen to administrative detention and transferred him to the police station, where one of the officers struck the detained person in the chest with a fist in the presence of another officer, causing physical pain and psychological suffering.

The other officer did not take any measures to prevent or stop the use of violence and failed to report the incident of torture against the citizen, which remained unrecorded. A public criminal prosecution has been initiated against one of the Patrol Service officers under Part 1 of Article 450 of the Criminal Code (torture), while the other officer faces charges under Part 1 of Article 441 (abuse of power or official authority or exceeding such authority).

By the decision of the prosecuting body and with the approval of the supervising prosecutor, their official duties have been suspended. The criminal proceedings have been sent to the supervising prosecutor with an accusatory conclusion and a request for judicial review,” the report states.