STATEMENT OF POLICE OF THE REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA

During the December 2 Assembly being held in Yerevan’s Azatutyan square an allegation was made according to which Gevorg Safaryan, an assembly participant, had been battered by police officers earlier at 2 p.m. today.
According to another allegation, the car, designed for use during the assembly and parked in Azatutyan square, was damaged by unknown people by the omission of the on-duty police officers.
Police of the Republic of Armenia considers that the facts stated in the above-mentioned allegations immediately refer to alleged acts or omissions of police officers, and contain obvious crime features, with regard to some circumstances those allegations have such a degree of concreteness that allows to take necessary statutory actions to verify them.
Attaching great importance to the full realization of people’s right to freedom of assemblies, as well as taking into consideration the fact that Police is interested in carrying out independent and impartial investigation in connection with the facts stated in the above-mentioned allegations in the first place, Police of the Republic of Armenia will make an official request to the Prosecutor General's Office of the Republic of Armenia to initiate and conduct an investigation in the framework of appropriate legal procedures.
Simultaneously Police are calling on persons responsible for making and spreading corresponding allegations to closely cooperate with competent bodies responsible for conducting the investigation.
Police are also stating that other, similar cases will be treated alike.