ARMENIAN OMBUDSMAN CALLS ON POLICE TO ACT WITHIN FRAMES OF CONSTITUTION AND NOT TO RESTRICT CITIZENS’ CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS

ArmInfo
2008-10-15 17:07:00

ArmInfo. Armenian Human Rights Defender (Ombudsman) Armen Haroutyunyan
calls on the Police of Armenia to act within the frames of Constitution
and legislation and not to restrict citizens’ constitutional rights.

As the ombudsman’s office told ArmInfo today, on October 13 having
received a signal, the rapid response team of the ombudsman’s office
went to the crossroad of Mashtots Ave and Tumanyan Str, where the
police was hindering an action in favor of sanctioning the opposition’s
rally. At that time there were about 50 people who wanted to hold
a procession despite the lack of the relevant permit. Moreover, the
action participants said that policemen wearing civilian clothes took
away the megaphone from the demonstrators and were roughly pushing
them. A bit later the police allowed them to hold the procession
without a megaphone. As a result, the crowd told the police not
to hinder the procession. Almost 50 policemen started pushing the
demonstrators towards the Northern Avenue and in the presence of
the rapid response team of the ombudsman’s office they took away
the second megaphone from the participants, the source says. "The
representatives of the human rights defender completely fixed what
had happened, and in this connection we call on the Police of Armenia
to act within the frames of the Constitution and legislation and not
to restrict Armenian citizens’ constitutional rights", the statement
of the ombudsman’s office says.