Human Rights Watch criticizes Armenian government
By Rashid Shirinov
Jane Buchanan, Associate Director of Europe and Central Asia Division of the international organization Human Rights Watch considers unreasonable the arrests of civil society activists after the July protests in Armenia, Russian service of radio Freedom reports.
She said the Armenian courts, in violation of international standards, did not indicate the reliable facts of violations, but resorted to general and abstract substantiations in the arrests of detainees.
Citing dozens of witnesses interviewed by the experts of the organization, as well as recorded videos, Buchanan noted that protests were mostly peaceful, with few cases of violence by protesters, and nothing remotely resembled riots.
Mass protests, which started in Armenia after an armed group Sasna Tsrer seized a police station in Yerevan on July 17, expressed the resentment of Armenians with their government.
From the first day of the seizure, Armenian people started their protest actions against authorities by gathering on Yerevan’s streets. Following the rally in Sari Tagh district of Yerevan, the police brutally, with use of police batons and stun grenades, dispersed the protesters and arrested 165 people. As a result, 73 citizens addressed medical institutions with injuries of varying degrees of severity.
---
Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov
Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz