Yesterday in the Liberty Square of the capital city about 30 supporters of the Armenian National Congress were again out for “political walk.” These were mostly young people. However, at about 6p.m. the police surrounded the square and afterwards a dozen of “lawmakers” assaulted the young people gathered in the square. They were shouting and pushing by demanding, “Don’t gather here. Get out of here.” The ones, who were trying to resist, were being attacked. One of the young people, Davit Kiramijyan, was attacked by 4 police officers and he was pushed on the ground. When speaking to us the mother of Davit told us that she and her 19-year-old son were going home from work walking in the vicinity of Saryan statue. Davit noticed that the police officers were trying to push some young girls and Davit approached them to help. The angry police officers beat Davit in front of the eyes of the mother. “I wasn’t able to save my kid from their punches. He is their future soldier. He is going to join the army soon. They were hitting my son in the head, kidneys till they made him bleed and dropped him in the police car half-naked.” Besides Davit the police has taken to the police department 14 other people, among them, the chair of the Hnchak party Lyudmilla Sargsyan, Vardges Gaspari, reporters of Haykakan Zhamanak newspaper Syuzie Poghosyan and Ani Gevorgyan and the journalist of Hayk newspaper Lilit Tadevosyan. The police was beating and pushing elderly women and one of them, a 70-year-old woman was cast in the police car as a sack (as told by eyewitnesses). Indeed, the activists were not receding to the police. They were responding with sear words and were trying to protect themselves. The cars of the ANC activists followed the police vehicles till the department by exclaiming “Fight till the end!” Here too the police has managed to besiege the building so that no one would dare to go inside. When the screams of the people gathered near the police department turned into songs this fully exacerbated the police. The latter were ordered to build a wall and banish the people from the front of the building. However some activist women immediately sat on the ground (others just lay down on the ground) by claiming that they wouldn’t take a step away without their friends. The police indeed didn’t pay attention to this either and they dragged the people from the asphalt. They took them away from the vicinity of the police building. After this event scuffle broke up between the police officers and the gathered people. Although some of the women received serious injuries they would still struggle and resist by counterattacking the searing police officers. One of the policemen would try to settle everything down by saying, “Dear people, we don’t want to harm you. Can’t you feel that you are turned into zombies? Wake up!” All detainees except the three young people were released from police custody several hours later. In a written statement, the Armenian police defended the use of force, saying that the ANC “violated public order,” swore at police officers and caused them “injuries dangerous for health” while attempting to enter the square. The statement claimed that Sargis Gevorgyan and Kiramijyan hit a police sergeant and tore off his epaulettes during the incident. It gave no reasons for Ani Gevorgyan’s arrest. According to the detainees’ lawyers, the 22-year-old journalist may be charged with assaulting “a state representative performing their duties,” while the two young are risking prosecution under another article of the Armenian Criminal Code dealing with “hooliganism.” Both accusations carry heavy fines and prison sentences of up to five years. According to the law the detainees were supposed to be released within 3 hours or be released. In about 4 hours Lyudmilla Sargsyan and two journalists were released. She said that she didn’t see any violence against her and when she demanded to get explanation why he was brought to the police the officers answered that all of them were being suspected of using force against the lawmakers. As of midnight Ani Grigoryan, Davit Kiramijyan and a young man named Sargis were still behind the bars. It is assumed that charges will be made against them. One of the young man that was kept in the same room with Davit was saying that one of the police officers was testifying that Davit hit them in the legs and tore their shoulder straps. And Davit couldn’t take because of the pain in his chin. This behavior of the lawmakers is mildly said surprising. What could these thirty people do when walking together so they deserved such an implacable beating? Why do the authorities worry? People are walking, let them walk.
