A group of attorneys issued a statement saying:

“We, the undersigned attorneys, express our deep concern regarding the obvious illegal processes conducted by the RA Investigative Committee, the Police of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the courts in recent days.

In particular, since 19 September, 2023, from the beginning of the terrorist activities unleashed by Azerbaijan against the Republic of Artsakh in order to commit genocide, a political-criminal prosecution is being carried out against several dozen participants of the peaceful disobedience actions carried out in the city of Yerevan, the sole purpose of which is to keep RA citizens away from the capital and from participation in similar actions and rallies of peaceful disobedience carried out in different cities of the Republic.

Within the framework of the criminal proceedings initiated under Article 327 of the RA Criminal Code (participation in mass riots), public criminal prosecution was initiated against about five dozen persons. The courts granted almost all motions to apply detention as a preventive measure. On the other hand, even the description of the accusations brought against the mentioned persons does not have any of the criminal characteristics of participating in mass riots.

The overwhelming majority of arrest decisions were based solely on the testimony of one or more police officers, including the police officers who arrested those persons using disproportionate force. We regret to note that the judges who granted the motions to apply detention as a preventive measure, instead of fulfilling their mission of providing judicial guarantees for pre-trial proceedings, are directly participating in these politically motivated prosecutions.

Almost all the arrested persons were subjected to severe beating and torture by the officers of the Police of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, both at the time of arrest and on the way to the relevant police departments, which was accompanied by insults and threats of a sexual nature insulting the honor and dignity of that person. We also record that neither the Police of the Ministry of Internal Affairs nor the RA Investigative Committee implement any legal equivalent process regarding these criminal cases of violence that occurred in front of the public and cameras, thus actually encouraging such criminal behavior of specific units of the Police.

We are determined to identify, collect and complete the entire chain of this illegal process and the officials involved in them.

We call on local and international human rights structures and organizations, including the RA Human Rights Defender, to stay true to their mission, to listen to the facts about these flagrant violations and to get involved in the protection of the rights of the victims of these violations.

We urge the competent state bodies of the Republic of Armenia to return to the field of law and legality and not to cross the point of irreversibility once and for all.

We reaffirm our commitment as human rights activists to protect human rights and constitutional values ​​in RA on a public basis, overcoming all the artificial obstacles created by the system.

The statement is open to attorneys who want to join.

Lawyers:

Abgar Poghosyan (license: 3015)

Zorayr Harutyunyan (license: 1981)

Varazdat Harutyunyan (license: 2426)

Arsen Babayan (license: 3268)

Sos Hakobyan (license: 3301)

Armen Andrikyan (license: 2232)

Mher Hakobyan (license: 1205)

Davit Tovmasyan (license: 3444)

Alexand Harutyunyan (license: 2461)

Hovsep Sargsyan (license: 2299)

Manush Yesayan (license: 2593)

Varduhi Elbakyan (license: 28)

Irma Chagharyan (license: 2690)

Mikael Shkhimyan (license: 2521)

Nazeli Ter-Petrosyan (license: 1751)

Rudik Dolunts (license: 3401)

Eric Aleksanyan (license: 2231)

Gor Vardanyan (license: 3029)

Benik Galstyan (license: 2862)”.