Lawyer: Police officers who used violence against a citizen in  Armavir haven`t been held accountable

ArmInfo.The assault of a citizen at a police station is another example of impunity, as not a single police officer has been punished for it yet. This was stated by lawyer Ara Karagyozyan at a press conference in Yerevan on May 12, touching upon the violence used by police officers against detained citizen Sergey Abrahamyan.

The lawyer also highlighted the statement of the press secretary of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Armenia, in which the actions of law enforcement officers were not only not condemned, but also justified.  In this regard, Karagyozyan emphasized that the press secretary has no right to make irresponsible statements, especially considering that the video of the incident had already circulated on Armenian  social media days prior, yet no one has been held accountable.

The lawyer believes that even the lack of defendants in connection with the incident does not mean that one should abandon the fight against violence and noted that initiating a criminal case under the article on torture is a  rare occurrence.

Furthermore, he pointed out that despite the ongoing reforms  in the police force,  the number of police - related tortures  has not decreased. In this vein, the lawyer noted that he knows several cases where  police officers accused of misconduct continue to work in law enforcement. He emphasized that in a democratic country, victim should not need a lawyer, as their rights are protected by the state.