On March 24 a 26-year old inhabitant of Artashat town was illegally brought from his home to the police of Artashat. Two policemen, providing no notice or reasons forced him to sit in their car and brought him to the police. 

Garik was detained at the police from 9am to 5:30pm. Garik says that the head of the investigation department blamed him in the robbery of a store in Artashat.  «The head of the investigation department bet me and said that I did this robbery, and I did not even know what for I was brought to the police,» told Garik.

The policemen took his telephone and did not allow to contact his lawyer. When he said that he has a right to call a lawyer, the department head answered: «Who are you to call people?»

One of policemen who brought Garik to the police station gave him a telephone and told him to call his brother (23 year old) to come to the police station. Garik used that opportunity and called Vardan Ghukasyan, a lawyer of his father. The lawyer after some hours arrived in Artashat from Yerevan in a half hour Garik was released.

The lawyer says that on his question why Garik was detained, the answer was: «we had to check some circumstances», and when he protested that they did not have a right to keep Garik more than half an hour, Garik was released in just 5 minutes.

The issue is that Garik's father Nshan Haroutyunyan was convicted for 5 years for illegal machination. Yesterday, the Cassation Court announced that Nshan's case was rejected.

It is obvious that the violence against Garik can be regarded as pressure on the family members of Nshan to force them not to protest court decisions.

Lawyer Nikoghosyan says that the rejection of the Cassation Court of their protest is baseless: «It is obvious that there is somebody behind Nshan's case».  Garik is convinced that this action against him was undertaken to frighten him so they stop protesting.  

According to our sources, the Prosecutor's office does everything to influence the Court of Cassation not to accept the protest.  According to rumors, Souren Parsamyan, the regional prosecutor of Artashat is interested in this case.  As a result of this, the police intervened into this family to silence their voice of protest. 

Kristine Vardanyan