Police officers to be questioned as well under protestor V. Petrosyan’s case
12:37, September 12, 2017 | News, Own news | Freedom of Assembly and Association, Freedom of Information and Speech, Right to be free from torture and inhuman or degrading treatment, Right to liberty and security
On September 8, 2017 the RA Administrative Court resumed examining the case of V. Petrosyan, who took part in the protest in Mashtots Avenue in March 2016.
The police demands that he is held liable under Article 180.1(11 and 15), RA Code of Administrative Offenses. And V. Petrosyan and his representative T. Siradeghyan, lawyer at Yerevan Office of HCA Vanadzor, filed a counter-claim demanding to declare unlawful the RA Police actions to disperse the assembly, arrest him and use physical force.
At the court hearing, the court examined the videos on the incident shared by the mass media. The videos show police officers talking to V. Petrosyan. According to RA Police representative Sona Melikyan, this comes to prove that the police officers gave him an order.
After examining the evidence, the court decided to engage defendant V. Petrosyan as witness under the case and he agreed to testify. In response to the questions of the court and the parties, V. Petrosyan said that no police officer gave him the order mentioned in the administrative offence records and moreover no orders were given during the assembly either generally or to him personally. He also mentioned that at the time of arrest, no one explained to him the grounds for arrest or the rights and duties related to his status.
At the court hearing, the Court found out from the plaintiff’s representative which police officers gave order to V. Petrosyan and decided to involve as witnesses under the case and question E. Rshtuni and G. Avagyan, RA Police Patrol and Guard Service regiment officers.
The next court hearing will be held on October 6, 2017, 11:30 am.