Article 32, “Responsibilities of the Police during Assemblies” of the Republic of Armenia Law on Freedom of Assemblies adopted on 14 April 2011: The Police:
1) Shall be obliged, immediately upon receiving information on an assembly, designate its representative and inform the organizer and the Authorized Body thereof;
2) Shall be obliged to ensure the presence of its representative at the assembly;
3) Shall be obliged to remove from the assembly venue persons that rudely violate the natural and peaceful course of the assembly, if it is not possible to maintain it otherwise;
4) Shall be obliged to ensure free access to buildings, structures, and other premises located at the assembly venue or adjacent to it.
If the assembly is conducted in violation of the notification requirements enshrined in Chapter 2 of this Law, then the Police shall be obliged to inform by a loudspeaker that the assembly is unlawful and that the participants may be held liable. If the assembly is peaceful, then the Police shall be obliged to facilitate the assembly.
Under Article 33 of the same law the Police may terminate an assembly only if there is no other possibility of preventing disproportionate restrictions of the constitutional rights of other persons or of the public interest.
According to the 16 April 2001 RA Law on Police, Article 22, the Rights of the Police while Ensuring the Public Order, Point 6 the traffic and the movement of passers-by may be prohibited temporarily during the assemblies and public events. During the prevention of the assemblies and public events that are carried out in violation of the public order, Article 31 of the same law prohibits using special means by the police, such as: rubber clubs, tear gas, handcuffs, light and vocal means distracting attention, devices for dissembling obstacles, means for forcible stopping of vehicles, water cannons and armoured cars, electric shocking devices, special colouring means, guard (patrol) dogs.
Under Article 33 of the Republic of Armenia Law on Freedom of Assemblies, The Police shall address the demand to terminate the assembly to the assembly leader, who shall be obliged to inform the assembly participants thereof immediately. In the absence of the assembly leader or the failure of the latter to fulfill the demand of the Police, the representative of the Police shall at least twice demand by loudspeaker that the participants terminate the assembly, setting a reasonable time period for doing so. At the same time, the Police representative shall warn the assembly participants of his power, in case of failure to terminate the assembly voluntarily during the set time period, to disperse the assembly, including the use of special means defined in the Republic of Armenia Law “On Police”.
According to the same Law, the procedure of assembly termination stipulated by the law shall not apply to the cases, in which mass disorder has started at the assembly venue, which necessitates the implementation of urgent measures to address the situation.
