ARMENIAN OMBUDSMAN PROPOSES POLICE CHIEF TO EXAMINE FACT OF ARTAVAZD. S. BEING SUBJECTED TO TORTURE

Noyan Tapan
Dec 04 2007

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 4, NOYAN TAPAN. The Ombudsman of the RA Armen
Harutyunian sent a letter to the chief of the RA Police, proposing
that an internal investigation should be conducted and measures be
taken to call to account those guilty of subjecting Artavazd S.,
a detainee, to torture.

According to information received from the RA Ombudsman Office,
the working group, which was was set up by instructions of the
RA Ombudsman, on November 29 went to "Hospital for Convicts"
penitentiary institution of the RA ministry of justice with the aim
of checking an alarm call about torture – just at the moment when
the detainee Artavazd S. was being taken to the Erebuni medical
center: by permission of doctors, they talked with Artavazd S. in
the ambulance car.

The detainee told the working group members that on November 13 he
was taken to police by employees of the RA Police Main Department
of Fight against Organized Crime, who treated him cruelly. In the
words of Artavazd S., during "the time he spent there", employees
of the indicated department delivered blows on various parts of
his body, including the spine, as a result of which some ribs were
broken. Doctors said that Artavazd S. was taken to hospital with the
diagnos "brain stroke".

In his letter, the RA ombudsman asked the police chief to inform him
in writing about measures taken in connection with this case.