ARMENIAN LEADER URGES POLICE TO MAINTAIN ORDER, UNRUFFLED BY MASS RALLIES

Armenian Public TV
June 13 2008
Armenia

Our first helper is a policeman. Those who go abroad for the first
time are usually advised to appeal to the police if they have
problems, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan said at a meeting with
the staff of the Armenian Police, asking them whether the situation
in Armenia is the same or not.

Sargsyan demanded that law enforcers themselves also observe the
law. He warned the police that he will take account of public reaction
rather than conclusions made by the police while appraising their work.

[Passage omitted: correspondent speaking about existing problems and
future plans of the police]

[Sargsyan] It is known that those who go abroad for the first time are
usually advised to appeal to the police if they have any problems. But
is the situation in our country the same. Unfortunately not. Citizens
of our country expect good results from you.

[Correspondent] The maintenance of public order is the main problem
that the public is worried about it. The president said that the
post-election developments showed that serious work still needs to
be done in this sphere. Sargsyan noted that the public became more
sensitive about the work of the law-enforcement agencies after the 1
March riots in Yerevan. This means that officers of the law-enforcement
agencies should be vigilant, he said.

[Sargsyan] I have repeatedly noted that both the government and the
rally organizers are guilty of the 1 March events in Yerevan. If
the government is guilty, this means that the police are guilty
too. For the first time, the police had to deal with a deliberate
plan to stage mass unrest. The situation was dangerous. I am sure
that if the combat readiness of the police was at the highest level,
it would have been possible to avoid the killing of eight citizens
and two policemen during the 1 March events.

[Passage omitted: Sargsyan speaking about an officer who was killed
in the 1 March events; saying that rallies have been and will be held
in the country, but the police should do everything possible to ensure
that rallies are held within the framework of the law]

Following his meeting with police officers, President Sargsyan
answered journalists’ questions saying that Armenia is a democratic
republic and citizens have a constitutional right to stage rallies and
demonstrations, but it should be not forgotten that it is impossible
to provide only one part of the public with privileges.

[Sargsyan] To be honest, I have not been briefed on the demonstration
[probably meaning the opposition demonstration scheduled for 20
June], but I know that a rally will be held. I do not see anything
strange about this. Rallies have been and will always be held in the
country. I have repeatedly said that I will protect our citizens’
rights to express their protest. A rally is a form of protest that
people express. But each of us should understand that our rights
cannot be above the rights of others. I think you have been informed
that the [Yerevan] mayor’s office has allocated a venue for rallies
and applicants can stage their mass events there.