Fear of revenge

30/01/2007

There is a special reference made to the work of the Armenian Police Forces and the National Security Service in the resolution on Armenia approved by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on January 23,

“The Assembly is sad to report that there are still complaints about inhumane treatment, especially the behavior of the police, as well as complaints about the extortions of the police and the National Security officials. Many still have the impression that there is no punishment whatsoever on the account of the fact that there are not many complaints where, as a result, police officers are recognized as guilty for the abuse of power and committing unauthorized acts and that compared to the number of complaints, there are more accusations but no complaints due to the fear of revenge. The Assembly approves the recent or current legislative reforms to the knowledge of the Council of Europe and expresses hope that they will allow to raise the reputation of the Police of Armenia and fortify the guarantees for democracy in the activities of the police. The Assembly underlines that applying regulatory fees for police that have committed criminal acts in countries where there is supremacy of rights is not enough and that other criminal cases must be brought up against them”