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Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly-Vanadzor has submitted 19 crime reports to the RA Prosecutor’s Office in connection with the cases of police officers and persons in civilian clothing using violence against participants in the non-violent, peaceful protests and acts of civil disobedience from April 17-25, 2018 and journalists covering those events as well as hindering the movement of protesters.

As to the forceful obstruction of the professional activity of journalists, HCA Vanadzor has submitted two crime reports. According to the official website of the RA Investigative Committee, on the basis of both of these reports, criminal cases have been initiated under Article 164 § 1 of the Criminal Code of the RA; however, the Organization has not been provided with any response about the initiation of the criminal cases.

One of those cases refers to the use of violence against Arevik Sahakyan, who is the editor-in-chief of the news website factor.am, and the operator who came to her rescue at the intersection of Mashtots Avenue and Tumanyan Street on the night between April 17 and 18, 2018. The second case refers to the use of violence against Arus Hakobyan, a journalist of Radio Liberty (Azatutyun) on the road to Artashat on April 21.

As to the obstruction of the participation in protests, we have submitted three crime reports. No response has been received in connection with any of them.

One of the submitted crime reports refers to keeping the students of Yerevan School No 152 locked in (http://archive.hcav.am/events/25-04-2018-012/); the second one refers to Governor of Armavir Region Ashot Ghahramanyan instructing the heads of the villages to disallow student strikes (https://bit.ly/2I8Jufp), while the third one refers to the Masis Town Council and police officers hindering the march of the residents of Hovtashen and Khatunarkh villages to Yerevan.

As regards the detention of peaceful protesters without lawful grounds, two crime reports have been submitted.

On April 17, nearly two dozens of peaceful protesters were detained without any lawful grounds and sent to the Prosecutor’s Office of Yerevan’s Kentron and Nork-Marash administrative districts in a police bus (https://www.facebook.com/azatutyun/videos/1897618636950171).

The crime report submitted on the basis of the alert on detaining six youths on Frik Street in Yerevan without any lawful grounds and taking them away in a yellow VAZ-2124 with 34 TM 967 on the state license plate has been sent to the Internal Security Department of the RA Police.

One report has been submitted with respect to police officers applying special measures in violation of safety rules, as a result of which 46 persons got fragmentary injuries on April 16, 2018.

The other reports pertain to the cases of police officers and persons in civilian clothing using violence against peaceful protesters.

The report on protesters being beaten up in front of police officers on Yerevan’s Heratsi Street on April 16, 2018 (http://archive.hcav.am/events/18-04-2018-07/) has been sent to the Prosecutor’s Office of Yerevan’s Kentron and Nork-Marash administrative districts with regard to subjecting to liability the citizens carrying out the beating and to the RA Special Investigative Service with regard to giving a legal assessment to the inaction of the police officers.

A crime report has also been submitted with the demand to subject to liability the persons in civilian clothing who attacked peaceful protesters, getting out of Toyota Corolla with CE. 109C on its foreign license plate on Yerevan’s Aivazovsky Street on April 20.

Another crime report has been submitted on the actions of the lieutenant colonel who demanded to cease the demonstration, threatening and swearing at the protesters on April 20. Videos showcasing the incidents have been attached to the reports.

We have not received any response to this report as well as the report on the actions of the citizens who brutally beat up a participant in the car procession in Yerevan’s Avan neighborhood on the same day (https://youtu.be/vI_k3I4Rsow) as well as the actions of the persons attempting to get a protester into a Nissan VAR 0001 car.

No response has been received in connection with the report requesting to give a legal assessment to the actions of the red beret-wearing officers that damaged a Nissan Tida car belonging to a protester on one of the streets in Yerevan on April 21. Nor has there been a response to the report pertaining to the actions of the police officers who damaged a BMW car on April 20 and the police officer who hit a female protester with his shield, while detaining her (https://youtu.be/Mho_aQvwpDw).

HCA Vanadzor has also submitted a crime report on the incident of protesting minors being beaten in Kartshaghbyur village in Gegharkunik Region on April 25. We should recall that there was an alert according to which people sent by the head of the village beat up the protesters; however, later, head of the village Taron Kocharyan denies any links with what occurred (http://archive.hcav.am/events/25-04-2018-98/).

We have not received any response to the report demanding to subject to liability the red beret-wearing police officer who used violence against a citizen who was being detained on April 22 (https://youtu.be/lUFMwQd-llU).

One report was submitted in connection with holding detained persons in police stations for longer than the established period of time and obstructing the activity of the advocates visiting the police stations to provide the detainees with legal support. With regard to the police officers carrying out unlawful actions, the report has been sent to the RA Special Investigative Service, and, with regard to holding the detainees for longer than the established period of time, it has been sent to the Internal Security Department.

HCA Vanadzor has sent inquiries to the RA General Prosecutor’s Office, the RA Special Investigative Service and the RA Police with respect to the criminal cases concerning the demonstrations that were held from April 16-25, 2018, the numbers of those arrested and put into custody and the charges filed.

We have not received any response to the inquiries sent on April 27, 2018 yet.