4 June 2007

We, Edmon Marukyan and Mikayel Baghdasaryan, respectively the former Chairman
and the former Deputy Chairman of the Group of Public Observers Implementing
Surveillance at the Detention Facilities of the RA Police System (the Group),
are hereby announcing that the RA Police not interested in expressing a genuine
will for establishing public monitoring over the protection of human rights at
the detention facilities, for preventing and identifying the cases of violations
of human rights, for improving the life conditions of detainees and for
increasing the public awareness concerning the issues of detention facilities,
thus actually turning the Group into a formal structure. The evidence and
justification for this is the information received a few days ago according to
which our membership with the Group has been terminated by the decree of the RA
Chief of Police.

This has happened after the Group has presented its first annual report on 17
April 2007, outlining the real situation of the police detention facilities,
which was unprecedented in its kind and in the preparation of which we had
significant contribution.

The RA Police, considering the fact that we are also members of the Group of
Observers Implementing Public Monitoring at the Criminal Executive Facilities
and Bodies under the jurisdiction of the RA Ministry of Justice, in the
beginning of this year, has made a change in the Group’s Statute, thus
prohibiting the involvement of members of other observation groups. Afterwards,
violating the 1st and 3rd items of 78th article of the RA Law “about the legal
acts”, by its own decree, the RA Police has assigned retrospective power to the
change performed previously, and expelled us from the Group based on it.

By the way, till today, the Group has not received excerpts from the mentioned
two decrees in writing. This is why, the text of this announcement is missing
specific dates and registration numbers of those decrees.

It is noteworthy, that according to the decree No 368 of the RA Chief of Police
from 10 March 2006, we have been involved in the Group for the period of 3 years
and were elected in our respective positions by the majority of the Group
members on 29 October 2006.

With this, we condemn such work style of the RA Police and announce that we are
going to apply to the RA Human Rights Ombudsman and dispute the legitimacy of
the decree at the court.

Additionally, it should be noted that the former Chairman, a former police
colonel and a representative of “Union of servants of law-enforcement”
Charitable NGO, has been reelected in the position of the Group Chairman.

Further information on the Statute and activities of the Group, as well as the
annual report, may be found at the official website of the Group
www.policemonitor.am.

Edmon Marukyan, “Media Group” Mass Media NGO

Mikayel Baghdasaryan, “Collaboration for Democracy Union” NGO