Arshaluys Hakobyan was tortured in the police station

On June 5, after five days of mayoral elections in Yerevan, policemen of the Kentron district arrested Arshaluys Hakobyan, member of the Helsinki Association,  who acted as observer during the elections. 

On the way to the police station, Arshaluys Hakobyan was beaten in the police car, then in the police station the violence continued with participation of the Head and Deputy Head of the Kentron district police station.  On June 6, a criminal case was filed against Arshaluys Hakobyan for violent actions towards  policemen. On the same day, Gagik Khandanyan, Judge of the Kentron and Nork communities, obediently accepted the justifications presented by the police, and the human rights defender was decided to be kept in detention.

The President of the Helsinki Association Mikael Danielyan declared that "it is the first time in the history of Armenia when a human rights defender is arrested.  The government has forgotten about the immunity of observers and now the election observer is under arrest."

Yesterday members of the public monitoring group of the Criminal executive institutions visited Arshaluys Hakobyan and confirmed that he had been tortured in the Kentron police station. During their visit they saw the traces of violence on the body of the arrestee.  According to Artur Sakunts, the monitoring group member and the Head of Vanadzor office of the Helsinki Citizens Assembly, Arshaluys Hakobyan was subjected to cruel and humiliating behavior. Artur Sakunts believes that this time the government is targeting human rights activities.

"When Arshaluys was beaten, the head of the police station spitted on his face, swearing at the president of the organization and its activities.  This is especially cruel attitude towards human rights activist and activities.  The police has a specific goal to humiliate a human rights defender", declares Sakunts.

Gayane Khachatryan, a lawyer representing interests of Arshaluys Hakobyan, during her visit to the Kentron investigation department, saw visible traces of torture on her client. "There were several bruises at different places of the body and face. On the head there were wounds with blood traces."

The arrest of Arshaluys Hakobyan is connected with an affair of the election day at one of the precinct committee of the Malatia Sebastia district, about which Hakobyan applied to the Special investigation department. At the same precinct station, 8/23, the president of the Helsinki Association Mikael Danielyan was present, who also observed the electoral process. According to Danielyan, the atmosphere at the precinct station was tense, the representative of the Armenian National Congress was threatened. Arshaluys Hakobyan, professional photographer, tried to make photos, but the head of the electoral commission and others had not allowed him to take pictures, and required that he leave the station. "To avoid further deterioration of the situation, we decided to leave the station", tells Mikael Danielyan.

On June 5, Arshaluys Hakobyan received a call from the Kentron police department, and was asked to come for an interview, to which he replied that he would come to the police department only when he received official written notice.  On the same day, two policemen brought the written notice to Hakobyan's home.  During this visit they started a quarrel with a 37-year-old Arshaluys Hakobyan, which was observed by his wife and parents.  When the policemen called additional force, another policeman, they did not pay attention to the presence of Hakobyan's two children (one of two years and the other of 36 days old). 

The Police placed the following information about this event at its website, providing their version of the situation: "Arshaluys H., being in state of drunkenness, put his signature on the notice at a wrong place, about which a policeman made a remark, after which Hakobyan started to swear at the policemen, threw a burning cigarette at the policeman, caused a crush and while continuing swearing, punched one policeman and slapped in the face of the other." However, the reality was different.  When the policemen came, Arshaluys Hakobyan was asleep (the day before they celebrated birth of his son, and therefore he drank some wine). The policemen entered the bedroom and tried to check the drunkenness of Hakobyan.  Arshaluys Hakobyan told them to leave the bedroom.  The reason for putting the signature at the wrong place on the notice was Hakobyan's shortsightedness (as he did not wear his lens at that moment).  So, this is the whole story. 

"I am well informed about the work style of the police. My client only required that the policemen did not speak in disrespectful way. This made the police angry, for they do not like when they are told what to do and how to behave", says the lawyer Gayane Khachatryan.

It is difficult to imagine that someone in Armenia can believe in the information provided by the Police that the initiator of the violence was Hakobyan, especially after events of March 1, 2008, when supporters of the opposition were subjected to mass violence and then criminal cases were filed against those who had been beaten.  Shortly after, the real stories came up in the court room: falsification and lie became visible to all and today the societies mistrust towards the police deepens even further. 

The lawyer of Ashaluys Hakobyan rejects accusations brought in the information distributed by the police against his client. Gayane Khachatryan prepares to appeal against the decision of the Kentron and Nork Marash court and try to change the preventive measure. 

P.S. Head of RA Police Alik Sargsyan periodically declares that the police image and role is being unfairly depreciated, and that the Police do everything to increase the moral character of a policeman. The story above does demonstrate how this works. We will keep urging the respected Police Chief: "Do not torture your own citizens".