On the night of 10 February, two lawyers, Emanuel Ananyan and Marzpet Avagyan, during the performance of their professional activities were violently assaulted, beaten, and cursed by the police officers in the Erebuni Police Department. The Chairman of the Chamber of Advocates, Simon Babayan, said during a press conference.

“I want to inform and state again that the Chamber of Advocates will be attentive and consistent towards similar negative phenomena. These phenomena are unacceptable for us and in fact some officials who also work in the police system forget that the lawyer has an exclusive mission, that mission is guaranteed by the Constitution of the Republic of Armenia,” Babayan said.

Ara Zohrabyan, Rector of the Academy of Advocates of the RA, noted that they had not encountered such a phenomenon for many years.

“Our colleagues went to the police department, where the minor had to face the police operative, due to the fact that the minors were beaten by the police. And imagine that they tried to exert psychological pressure on the lawyers in the Erebuni Department, they mocked the lawyer during the face-to-face examination, and then as a result of the provocation, they took him out where he was attacked by the policemen in the corridor and beaten – beaten and cursed. The other lawyer came out in response to those voices, and they started beating him and cursing him as well. The Chairman of the Chamber of Advocates went to the scene of the incident, on the spot they tried to justify themselves that the lawyer uttered some insulting words, for which, according to them, they have the right to punish.

Even if we accept that the lawyer said an insulting word to the policeman, there is a Chamber of Advocates for that, where they could apply. Well, if the act of our colleague involved a crime, there is a criminal procedure after all. What does it mean to beat lawyers based on the street understanding? This is unacceptable behavior.

I call on the Chief of Police, the Minister of the Interior to take quick response and measures, a concrete assessment of the actions of all the policemen who were involved in the beating process, should be given, in addition to the criminal assessment, and their powers should be suspended at least, they cannot be policemen”, he concluded.