A Call for the RA Police
13:59, March 30, 2012 | Announcements | Electoral Rights | PoliceOn March 27, 2012, during a meeting with the personnel of the RA Kotayk Region Police Department and its sub-divisions, the RA Chief of Police, Vladimir Gasparyan, stated that, within the limits of law, the police should make sure the elections are held at an unprecedented level.
Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly-Vanadzor:
-Deriving from the experience of many years of conducting observation mission during the electoral processes,
-Acknowledging the role and direct responsibility of the police maintaining public order and preventing crimes during the election period,
-Recording the wide use of administrativeresources during the previous pre-election periods, the systematic bribes and the inactivity of the law-enforcement bodies in preventing them.
-Deriving from the provisions of Article 1542 of the RA Criminal Code, according to which: “Accepting bribes from candidates personally or indirectly, in order to vote for or against one of the candidate, to participate or refrain from participating in the elections, is punished witha fine of 500 to 700 times the minimum wage or with 1-3 years of imprisonment. Forcing a voter to vote for or against one of the candidates, to participate or refrain from participating in the elections, bythreatening to damage property or bybribing personally or through a mediator, by using violence or threatening to do so, is punished witha fine of 2000 to 2500 times the minimum wage or with 3-5 years of imprisonment.”
Calls for the RAPolice:
-To conduct operation “Election bribe”, for actual promotion of free and fair elections, aimed at preventing distribution and receipt of election bribes, to reveal cases of giving bribes, and to hold the perpetrators liable.
-To regularly inform the public about the results of the operation and to summarize the results within three days after the Election Day.
We believe that only in case of implementation of these activities will it be possible to prevent and reveal the crimes hindering the free and fair elections and within the scope of their authority the RA Police will have an effective participation in holding free, fair, and democratic election in Armenia.
Vanadzor
29.03.2012