Transparency International Anticorruption Center, together with a number of NGOs and individuals, joined a statement released by Helsinki Committee of Armenia Human Rights NGO on the incidents that occurred on January 15, 2015. The statement reads: “On 15 January, 2015 mass protest actions were held in Yerevan and Gyumri cities in regard with murder of the Avetisyans’ family in Gyumri.

In particular, spontaneous protest actions took place at the Embassy of the Russian Federation at 16:00, then at the Prosecutor’s Office demanding to hand over the investigation of the case to the Armenian law enforcement authorities and to punish suspect V.Permyakovin according to the RA Law. During the protest actions the RA Police Officers violated the protesters’ rights to freedom of movement and freedom of expression. Protest participants T. Khzmalyan and A. Kiviryan were arrested and kept in police departments for about three hours.

In particular, spontaneous protest actions took place at the Embassy of the Russian Federation at 16:00, then at the Prosecutor’s Office demanding to hand over the investigation of the case to the Armenian law enforcement authorities and to punish suspect V.Permyakovin according to the RA Law. During the protest actions the RA Police Officers violated the protesters’ rights to freedom of movement and freedom of expression. Protest participants T. Khzmalyan and A. Kiviryan were arrested and kept in police departments for about three hours.

On the same day, at 22:00, a group of citizens took part in the ceremony of candle lighting at the Freedom Square. Started from 22:15 unknown men in civilian clothes (later turned out to be police officers), later police officers in the police uniform used violence against the participants of the peaceful assembly arresting several dozens of citizens and taking them to different police divisions.

Among those arrested participants were the members of the Helsinki Committee of Armenia Avetik Ishkhayan and Lusine Sahakyan, who, respectively, at 22:15 and 23:05 were deprived of liberty with a use of force and taken to various police departments. They were arrested after they demanded from Colonel Karen Movsisyan, who was coordinating the police actions, to clarify the legal basis for arresting the citizens.

After keeping Avetik Ishkhanyan in the police station at the Central Police Division for two hours, he was told that he had been arrested for allegedly not obeying the police lawful order. Lusine Sahakyan was taken to the neighboring area of Kanaker-Zeytun police division without explanation, 50 minutes later she was released without even entry to the police division.

According to the information disseminated in the media and social networks, such actions continued to be carried out by the police during the following days. Particularly, information was disseminated that police officers tried to prevent spontaneous candle lighting at the Freedom Square in the evening on 15 January in the memory of Seryozha Avetisyan.

It is obvious that the police actions were aimed at interference with freedom of peaceful assembly, which did not have any legal basis. The police actions were unjustified and illegal. The RA police officers brutally violated the right to freedom of a group of citizens, participation in the peaceful assembly, under Article 5 of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, at the same time illegally limited their freedom of assembly under Article 11 of the Convention.

We demand from the Armenia’s state bodies to conduct a comprehensive investigation of the facts in regard with violations of the rights and freedoms of citizens and bring relevant police officers in charge to justice."

Helsinki Committee of Armenia Human Rights NGO
Norwegian Helsinki Committee
Yerevan Press Club
Open Society Foundations - Armenia
Public Journalism Club
“Protection of Rights without Borders” NGO
Media Initiatives Center
“KhoranArd” Intellectual Center
“Third nature” NGO
“Europe in Law Association” NGO
Committee to Protect Freedom of Expression
“Society without Violence” NGO
“Women’s Rights Center” NGO
“Real World, Real People” NGO
“Public Information and Need of Knowledge” NGO
“Gyumri is our home” Civil Initiative
“Arevamanuk” Family and Child Care Fund
“New Generation” NGO
“Guarantee Center of Civil Society” NGO
HCA Vanadzor
“Community Pulse” NGO
“Martuni Women’s Community Council” NGO
“Armenian Constitutional Right Center” NGO
“Human Rights Protection Yerevan Center” NGO
“Our Rights Borders” NGO
Women’s Support Center
“Development of Gyumri” NGO
Armavir Development Center
“Fund Against Violation of Law” NGO
Transparency International Anti-Corruption Center
“Partnership and Teaching” NGO
“For Sustainable Human Development” NGO
“Collaboration for Democracy” NGO
“The A.D. Sakharov Armenian Human Rights Protection Center” NGO
“EcoLur” NGO
Youth civil center of Armavir
Mesrop Harutyunyan, writer, journalist, media expert
Journalists’ “Asparez” Club Council
“Journalists for Human Rights” NGO
“Biosophia” NGO
“Rights Information Center” NGO
“Rule of Law” NGO
“Spitak Helsinki Group” Human Rights NGO
Goris Press Club