Immediately after the information on the apprehension of Anna Shahnazaryan, a member of the civil initiative “Armenian Environmental Front” and the published concerns on the issue, the Human Rights Defender began a discussion procedure at his own initiative.
In addition, the Human Rights Defender’s Office has received further information on the abovementioned via a hotline call from one of the members of the civil initiative “Armenian Environmental Front” after the incident.
Within the framework of the discussion initiated by the Human Rights Defender, Anna Shahnazaryan was primarily contacted. In a written complaint addressed to the Defender, she informed that during the apprehension, the police officers did not present the basis and reasons for her apprehension, i.e., the grounds and reasons for deprivation of liberty, her procedural status, and the rights deriving from it. According to Anna Shahnazaryan, the police officers groundlessly seized the property of the participants (poster, table, chair, flyers), as well as all the collected money. Anna Shahnazaryan also stated that the police officers informed her that she was not apprehended, but was rather brought to the police department for suspicion of fraud.
Anna Shahnazaryan claims that the police’s actions have hindered her public activities.
The obtained information, including the circumstances of Anna Shahnazaryan’s written complaint, have been summed up by the Defender’s Office. A letter was sent to the police with specific questions and a request for appropriate clarifications on the raised issue.