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  • Police Use Agents To Seize Money

    Police Use Agents To Seize Money

    Interview with Arthur Sakunts, head of Helsinki Citizens Assembly
    Vanadzor Office

    Armenia is implementing a methadone treatment program but addicts are
    not quite happy though it is intended to help them get better. What is
    the reason?

    Drug users are treated highly negatively, and they are prosecuted not
    only for using but also buying and making drugs. In fact, these people
    are a risk group. One of the requirements of Global Fund implementing
    this program is to involve a police representative. The beneficiaries
    of the program undergo regular checkup, and the police representative
    is informed about the results of tests. In Vanadzor we demanded to
    include our representative to control the actions of the police
    representative. Nevertheless, very few people apply for the program.
    We conducted a survey among the beneficiaries and found that some
    people are still chased by the police. In Lori, particularly in
    Vanadzor, there are about 1000-1200 intravenous narcotic addicts but
    only 20-25 people are involved in the program.

    Why is the police attitude to the program negative? Is there a
    corruption issue?

    It's strange that a person refuses a program which is for their own
    health. They thus become vulnerable to law enforcement agencies. We
    know that these people are used to ensure their performance delivery
    report. We think the police should stop its interference in this
    medical service. In addition, they must encourage people to roll up
    for the program. However, trade in narcotics is a serious business
    which generates huge profit. Having their agents among users and
    sellers, the police uses information to make money. I wouldn't deny
    that they have monthly raids of blacklisted people and seize money.
    Drug addicts have to do something else, so the crime rate grows
    because they have to steal to get drugs.

    Drug addicts are often arrested. Different monitoring results say that
    people are more vulnerable in closed institutions.

    The circumstance of drug addiction is not included in the files of a
    criminal case. Now they continue to prosecute but without a test to
    consider it as an attenuating circumstance. A disease is considered a
    crime. It is the same to incriminate a cancer patient who uses drugs.
    We conducted a monitoring of investigation and court examinations and
    received response from the Prosecutor General's Office and the Police
    and are waiting for the response of the Ministry of Health to publish
    the findings.

    Karine Ionesyan
    13:08 15/06/2013
    Story from Lragir.am News:
    http://www.lragir.am/index/eng/0/interview/view/30174




    From: A. Papazian
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