POLICE OFFICERS PROHIBITED THEM FROM APPROACHING THE CEC
A1+
[08:13 pm] 19 February, 2009
Dozens of police officers were waiting for members of the "Special
Regiment" movement today, which marks one year since the Armenian
presidential elections.
Some police officers were waiting in cars and were led by Commander
of the patrol service regiment Robert Melkonyan and his deputy
Valeri Osipyan.
The "Special Regiment" youth movement was planning to hold a picket
and put on a show in front of the building of the Central Electoral
Commission.
Around 2:20 p.m. today nearly 40 youth were walking from Koryun
Street to the Central Electoral Commission with signs and tricolor
flags in their hands. But the youth had not taken a couple of steps
before the police officers prohibited them to move forward.
After the youth announced that they were only 40 people and have
the right to organize a march, Robert Melkonyan stole the signs of
one of the members and broke it. The other police officers did the
same and pushed the youth back, including Deputy of the "Heritage"
faction Zaruhi Postanjyan. Not after the pushing and shoving of police
officers did activists start to move back and yell "Serzhik, leave"
and "Shame on you".
Police officers pushed the youth back into the building of the Armenian
National Congress located on Koryun Street.
When member of the Armenian National Movement Aram Manukyan tried to
find out from Robert Melkonyan why they were pushing the youth back
and breaking the signs, the high-ranking police officer started to
push Aram Manukyan too. They pushed everybody back and closed the
door. Swearing was heard from both sides and the police officers
even started pushing the girls and did not allow journalists to do
their job.
Deputy Zaruhi Postanjyan demanded Robert Melkonyan to give her a
document stating that police officers have the right to drive away
a crowd.
"Show me the decision for attacking the youth members or breaking
their signs," said Zaruhi Postanjyan. But Robert Melkonyan refuted
that and said that nothing like that had happened (the clips taken by
"A1+" clearly show how Robert Melkonyan breaks the sign-ed.)