Armenian human rights activist calls for actions over police violence  in Vanadzor 

ArmInfo. The refusal of the Armenian authorities to initiate criminal prosecution against the police officers involved in the case of Tigran Ulubabyan testifies to  the patronage of torture by law enforcement agencies, as well as to a  discriminatory approach and serious violations of international norms  adopted by Armenia. This was written on his Facebook page by the head  of the Tatoyan Foundation, former Ombudsman of Armenia Arman Tatoyan,  in connection with the beating of 28-year-old participant in the  Artsakh wars Tigran Ulubabyan by Vanadzor police officers. 

As Tatoyan noted, after the first reports of torture of the young  Artsakh resident by police officers, a criminal case should have been  immediately initiated, regardless of the presence of an official  complaint.  He emphasized that the data provided by Tigran Ulubabyan  is so detailed that it was necessary to initiate criminal prosecution  against specific police officers without delay.

"The powers of all the police officers he pointed out should have  been suspended until the end of the criminal proceedings. The  investigation should have checked whether the police officers accused  of torture could interfere with the investigation. If even the  slightest information was received confirming this, they should have  been immediately dismissed, which does not exclude the use of  criminal procedural coercion measures, such as arrest," Tatoyan  explained.

At the same time, the former ombudsman drew attention to the fact  that Tigran Ulubabyan's story shows that it is not only about  physical harm to his health, but also about mental suffering,  including humiliation, abuse and threats. In this regard, the human  rights activist emphasized the need for an immediate interrogation of  the victim. "Nevertheless, as Tigran's lawyer claims, he was  interrogated only briefly after the public outcry began. Only today,  after yesterday's protest, was he invited for additional  interrogation," Tatoyan added.

He then noted the need for an immediate examination to determine the  damage caused to the health of the Artsakh resident by torture, as  well as to assess his mental suffering. According to Tatoyan, the  victim needed immediate psychological support. The human rights  activist also emphasized that not only the police officers who,  according to Tigran, tortured him, but also their immediate superiors  are subject to interrogation. In this regard, Tatoyan pointed out the  importance of finding out whether the police officers acted on the  instructions or with the permission of their superiors.

"Since Tigran claims that the police beat him so much that they left  marks on his feet, the police should be immediately examined. If  necessary, it is also necessary to seize video recordings from  surveillance cameras and the police department's work logs," the  former ombudsman continued.

In addition to the above, as Tatoyan noted, the investigative body is  obliged to regularly inform the public about the progress of the  investigation, given the public resonance of the case.

At the same time, Tatoyan expressed his conviction that what happened  was based on a political decision, also taking into account the  practice of considering such cases. He explained that such a delay is  already patronage of impunity for torture and encouragement of  torture.

On the evening of March 19, a group of citizens held a protest  outside the building of the Investigative Committee of Armenia  demanding that the police officers who beat up a relative of the  robbery victim, 28- year-old participant in the Artsakh wars Tigran  Ulubabyan, be punished.

Earlier, lawyer Roman Yeritsyan reported on his page that two armed  masked men illegally entered an apartment rented by an Artsakh family  in the city of Vanadzor, threatened to kill first a 28-year-old  woman, then her young child, and stole jewelry from the house. In  connection with the incident, the victim and her relative,  28-year-old Tigran Ulubabyan, contacted the police. As the lawyer  said, at the police station, Tigran was taken to the chief's office,  where he was urged to take responsibility for the robbery. Having  received a sharp and negative response, the chief of the department  instructed the police to "process" Tigran. After 7 hours of illegal  detention at the police station, Tigran was released, urging him not  to tell anyone about what happened. Yeritsyan also reported that  Tigran is receiving threats against the background of an attempt to  publicize the details of the robbery.