OPPOSITION ALLIANCE CONDEMNS POLICE VIOLENCE AGAINST YOUNG ACTIVISTS

Tert.am
10.08.11

The opposition Armenian National Congress (ANC) voices concerns over
continuing violence and unlawful actions against its members.

In connection with yesterday’s incident in Yerevan, the alliance
has issued a statement, condemning the police of beating its young
activists.

“During the incident on August 9, the police used violence against
ANC supporters Tigran Arakelyan and Artak Karapetyan. When other
activists – Areg Gevorgyan, Sahak Muradyan, Vahagn Gevorgyan and
David Kiramidjyan – arrived on the scene to smooth out the dispute,
they were also subjected to brutalities,” says the statement.

The oppositionists note that the police kept resorting to violence even
after several people were injured in the attack. They say the policemen
prevented an ambulance doctor to take care of the beaten activists.

They claim that no forensic conclusions estimating the character of
the injuries is available. They note further that procedure was not
violated in relation to a policeman involved in the incident.

The ANC considers the attack an intentional provocation that followed
a proposal to hold snap elections in Armenia.

“The extensive document submitted by the Armenian National Congress
has probably caused inconvenience to the regime, and they resorted to
such steps in an attempt to frustrate the discussion,” the authors
of the statement say, referring to the current dialogue between the
ruling coalition and the opposition alliance.

They say the authorities’ attempts to resort to brutalities openly
demonstrate that the absence of any arguments to the ANC’s prposal
to form new government through snap parliamentary and presidential
elections.

The alliance calls for releasing the young activists and establishing
liability measures for the policemen who resorted to violence.