Today, all day long, monitoring of protests with regard to the Amulsar mine has been conducted through media and social networks. The activities of the Police were examined as well.
The hotline of the Human Rights Defender’s Office received 7 calls informing that the Police officers had used excessive force against the protests’ participants, some of them were apprehended and one of the apprehended persons needed medical assistance.
A rapid response group was immediately dispatched to Arabkir Police Unit. At the Police unit it was revealed that 6 participants of the protest had been apprehended and one of them had been transferred to Grigor Lusavorich Medical Center. Therefore,another rapid response group was dispatched to the medical center by the Defender’s decision.
At the Police unit, the Human Rights Defender’s representatives had private interviews with all persons apprehended during the protests. They claimed that the Police officers had not presented them the reasons for the deprivation of liberty and used excessive force during apprehension.
The representatives of the Human Rights Defender examined the information filled in police registries concerning apprehended persons and revealed violations with regard to the filling-in procedure. It was also recorded that the persons held in the Police unit were released within the timeframe envisaged by the RA Code of Administrative Offences. The Defender’s representatives presented to persons deprived of liberty their rights, the procedure for applying to the Human Rights Defender and complaint examination procedure by the Defender.
The rapid response group visited Grigor Lusavorich Medical Center, had a private interview with the person that had been transferred to the medical center. During the interview, the protest participant informed that he had been subjected to violence by the Police officers. They hit the protestor’s face and whipped the legs, deteriorating the latter’s health condition. The representatives of the Human Rights Defender had a private interview with him at the Police unit as well, where the latter reiterated that information.
During the visit it was revealed that three apprehended persons, including the person that had been earlier transferred to the medical center, have filed crime reports regarding the Police officer’s actions.
The results of the aforementioned visits will be summarized and relevant letters will be sent to the RA Police and Prosecutor’s Office.
The issues pertaining to the Amulsar mine will continue to be under the Human Rights Defender’s attention.