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"INSULTING THE POLICE BEYOND THE POWER OF ORDINARY CITIZENS": ARMENIAN ACTIVIST VARDGES GASPARI ON TRIAL
http://www.epress.am/en/2014/03/17/insulting-the-police-beyond-the-power-of-ordinary-citizens-armenian-activist-vardges-gaspari-on-trial.html
03.17.2014 22:36 epress.am
Civil society activist Vardges Gaspari (pictured), as before, has an
extremely low assessment of the dignity of RA Police Chief Vladimir
Gasparyan and several of his subordinates including Aida Demirkhanyan.
Gaspari said this himself today in the Court of First Instance of
Kentron and Nork-Marash Administrative Districts (presiding Judge Edik
Avetisyan), which is examining police employee Aida Demirkhanyan's
lawsuit against the activist, from whom she is asking for compensation
of 1 million AMD for insulting her dignity.
The reason for the lawsuit was Gaspari's statements against the police
and Demirkhanyan, in particular. The latter was insulted when in court
Gaspari said that some representatives of the police "are more filthy
and unworthy than the prostitutes that work near Yerevan Lake".
During the conversation with Demirkhanyan, Gaspari tried to find
out whether his words were perceived as an insult directed at an
individual or a police employee. Demirkhanyan said she considers the
words "stupid, uneducated, liar" as a personal insult.
At the trial, Gaspari repeatedly claimed that he had no personal
relationship with the plaintiff, stressing that transferring the
incident to the plane of personal relationships is extremely insulting.
The activist said that his position remains unchanged: the assessments
he made of the police are extremely mild.
After the court session, Gaspari told reporters that the court,
in all likelihood, will rule in favor of the plaintiff.
"The police with this move directly appeals to possible extortion. I
don't think that anyone was offended by my remarks, since it's beyond
my and ordinary citizens' power and extremely difficult to insult a
police officer. Police officers are such that they are not offended
by their superiors' latest sexual expletives and remarks -- how can
they be offended by my words? When [former Yerevan Deputy Police Chief]
Robert Melkonyan was pushing his officers onto demonstrators, he issued
the most perverse curses [...] now how can I insult that officer?"
The day and time of the next court date will be announced later.
Note, the police employee's complaint was submitted after the session
in the Administrative Court, which examined another lawsuit against
Gaspari in which the Armenian Police is asking for 50,000 AMD from
the activist for calling law enforcement officers "villain, scoundrel,
criminal" while protesting outside the Harsnaqar restaurant.
http://www.epress.am/en/2014/03/17/insulting-the-police-beyond-the-power-of-ordinary-citizens-armenian-activist-vardges-gaspari-on-trial.html
03.17.2014 22:36 epress.am
Civil society activist Vardges Gaspari (pictured), as before, has an
extremely low assessment of the dignity of RA Police Chief Vladimir
Gasparyan and several of his subordinates including Aida Demirkhanyan.
Gaspari said this himself today in the Court of First Instance of
Kentron and Nork-Marash Administrative Districts (presiding Judge Edik
Avetisyan), which is examining police employee Aida Demirkhanyan's
lawsuit against the activist, from whom she is asking for compensation
of 1 million AMD for insulting her dignity.
The reason for the lawsuit was Gaspari's statements against the police
and Demirkhanyan, in particular. The latter was insulted when in court
Gaspari said that some representatives of the police "are more filthy
and unworthy than the prostitutes that work near Yerevan Lake".
During the conversation with Demirkhanyan, Gaspari tried to find
out whether his words were perceived as an insult directed at an
individual or a police employee. Demirkhanyan said she considers the
words "stupid, uneducated, liar" as a personal insult.
At the trial, Gaspari repeatedly claimed that he had no personal
relationship with the plaintiff, stressing that transferring the
incident to the plane of personal relationships is extremely insulting.
The activist said that his position remains unchanged: the assessments
he made of the police are extremely mild.
After the court session, Gaspari told reporters that the court,
in all likelihood, will rule in favor of the plaintiff.
"The police with this move directly appeals to possible extortion. I
don't think that anyone was offended by my remarks, since it's beyond
my and ordinary citizens' power and extremely difficult to insult a
police officer. Police officers are such that they are not offended
by their superiors' latest sexual expletives and remarks -- how can
they be offended by my words? When [former Yerevan Deputy Police Chief]
Robert Melkonyan was pushing his officers onto demonstrators, he issued
the most perverse curses [...] now how can I insult that officer?"
The day and time of the next court date will be announced later.
Note, the police employee's complaint was submitted after the session
in the Administrative Court, which examined another lawsuit against
Gaspari in which the Armenian Police is asking for 50,000 AMD from
the activist for calling law enforcement officers "villain, scoundrel,
criminal" while protesting outside the Harsnaqar restaurant.