Azernews.Az

By Rashid Shirinov

Armenian police used excessive force against peaceful demonstrators on July 29, 2016 and attacked journalists enlightening demonstrations, Human Rights Watch said in its statement of August 1.

During the clashes with Armenian demonstrators, the police used stun grenades, which wounded dozens of demonstrators and some journalists, some severely. The police also beat journalists and protesters and detained dozens of people.

“Armenia’s investigation of the police assaults on demonstrators on July 29 should be swift and thorough. While the police have an obligation to maintain public order, they do not have carte blanche to use violence against people gathered to peacefully express their views,” Giorgi Gogia, South Caucasus director at Human Rights Watch claimed.

The organization’s representatives spoke with victims and witnesses of the violence. They also visited several of the wounded journalists and protesters in the hospital in Yerevan. One of them has cuts and burns of first- and second degree which cover both legs. Doctors removed five plastic fragments of stun grenades from his feet. Human Rights Watch stressed that he was not able to walk properly during the interview.

Interviewees told Human Rights Watch that the crowd was not trying to cross the cordon when police started launching the stun grenades. Video tape of the events reviewed by Human Rights Watch supports the witnesses’ statements.

The organization stressed that the Armenian police could lawfully attempt to prevent approach of the protesters to the occupied area, and they still were obliged to respect human rights and standards on the use of force.

Armenian police did not have to shoot stun grenades directly into the people. “Although the grenades are technically non-lethal, their fragmentation can foreseeably cause serious injuries,” the statement says.

“Police should not interfere with the legitimate work of journalists, let alone attack and punish them for doing their jobs,” Gogia comlained.

On July 29, following a rally in Sari Tagh district of Yerevan, the police dispersed the protesters and detained 165 people. As a result of the clashes between the demonstrators and police, 73 citizens addressed medical institutions with injuries of various degrees of severity. Currently, 15 of them still stay in hospitals. Moreover, 13 journalists became injured due to the dreadful actions of Armenian police.

Human Rights Watch is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Each year, the organization publishes more than 100 reports and briefings on human rights conditions in some 90 countries, generating extensive coverage in local and international media.

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Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov

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