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  • Berdzor Incident: Human Rights Activists Expect No Legal Solutions T

    BERDZOR INCIDENT: HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVISTS EXPECT NO LEGAL SOLUTIONS TO POLICE BRUTALITY CLAIMS

    Human rights | 05.02.15 | 12:36

    By Sara Khojoyan
    ArmeniaNow reporter

    The failure of the automobile march to Nagorno-Karabakh organized by
    activists of the hard-line opposition Founding Parliament group as
    part of the movement called "Centenary [of the Genocide] Without the
    Regime", when force was used against the participants, most probably,
    will not have a legal solution, because there are numerous questions
    with no answers, human rights activists think.

    Meanwhile, the policy used by NK officials and law enforcement
    bodies is evidence of human rights violation, and the justification
    of the occurrence, even accompanied by condemnation, deepens the
    non-solidarity that has been created between Armenians in Armenia
    and in Karabakh.

    According to political analyst Edgar Vardanyan from the Armenian
    Center for National and International Studies (ACNIS), the NKR Police
    statement regarding the Berdzor incident is nothing but self-confession
    of human rights violation.

    Vardanyan specifically refers to the following part of the police
    statement, "the Founding Parliament's 'automobile march' on January 31
    had elicited a negative reaction among wide circles of the Karabakh
    public and a large part of the population decided to prevent the
    march participants' entry into Karabakh."

    "By using the term 'automobile march', the NKR Police factually admits
    that the matter is about a certain type of peaceful gathering. Here, we
    must say that organizing a peaceful protest and/or participating in it
    is one of human rights. That right is guaranteed both by the Armenian
    and by the NK Constitutions, and we must add that any individual has
    this right, regardless of his or her citizenship," Vardanyan said.

    It is noteworthy that both Nagorno-Karabakh President Bako Sahakyan
    and Deputy Prime Minister Artur Aghabekyan in their interview to
    Artsakh National TV justified their policy to prevent the march.

    "In our presence the president literally said, "Zhiro, I cannot permit
    that action, that luxury cannot take place, Artsakh cannot become part
    of such unpleasant activities, we cannot participate in such activities
    that take place in Armenia" Aghabekyan told RFE/RL's Armenian Service,
    adding that they evaluate the video showing the violence against the
    march as provocation and call for tolerance.

    Violence against the Founding Parliament members took place on the
    territory of NK, and a legal solution to this issue must be given
    in accordance with this country's legislation, Armenian Helsinki
    Committee Chairman Avetik Ishkhanyan said.

    "Even if it were the strictest law, what I saw in that video
    contradicts that strictest law - after brief negotiations they started
    beating people, even with the strictest law the police stretched
    its authority and applied violence," the human rights activist told
    ArmeniaNow.

    According to Ishkhanyan, those who were beaten up must be recognized as
    victims, even if they broke the law and are subject to administrative
    penalties. "The whole problem, however, is that I am sure that no
    legal solution will be given."

    http://armenianow.com/society/human_rights/60363/armenia_berdzor_incident_founding_parliament

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