The EU Delegation has reached out to the authorities and underlined the importance of ensuring that police forces refrain from excessive use of force. Andrea Wiktorin

168.am correspondent these days sent few questions to Andrea Wiktorin, Ambassador, Head of the European Union Delegation to Armenia.

-On April 16, US Ambassador to Armenia Lynn Tracy, SRC Chairman Rustam Badasyan, Human Rights Defender Kristinne Grigoryan, Head of the EU Delegation to Armenia, Ambassador Andrea Wiktorin joined Nikol Pashinyan and RA Police Chief Vahe Ghazaryan in celebration of the Day of Police and the Patrol Service kick-off. The Facebook page of the EU Delegation to Armenia says that the EU supports the police reforms in Armenia- trumped by the Armenian authorities. As the Head of the EU Delegation to Armenia, as a supporter of reforms in Armenia, especially the in the area of police reforms, we would like to ask Ms. Wiktorin to assess the adequacy of the police force used against the peaceful protesters today. We provide videos of two episodes, but there have been many similar videos today.

– The EU Delegation has reached out to the authorities and underlined the importance of ensuring that police forces refrain from excessive use of force. As far as the EU delegation knows, the Office of the Prosecutor General opened investigations in two cases. The EU delegation is in close contact with the Office of the RA Human Rights Defender and follows the situation closely.

– Since this morning (02.05.2022), the police mobilized unprecedented forces to suppress the protests initiated by the opposition. Suspicious men in black masks stormed the rally site to open the Koryun-Heratsi streets intersection. To prevent unlawful deprivation of one’s liberty, to prevent potential illegal persecution, disproportionate force, or ill-treatment as a matter of an internationally valid rule – a police officer must wear a uniform. It requires that the uniform has a piece of clearly identifiable information- the first and last name, the least. At the same time, the citizen must be able to recognize or identify the police officer who approached or arrested him. We (168.am) tried inquiring the police whether the group of people in uniforms and masks had anything to do with the police and, if so, which department they represented. The police, however, did not comment. How would you rate this fact, which is in the videos?

– Law enforcement and police forces have to respect all relevant laws and conduct themselves accordingly. Adherence to the rule of law applies to the police in the same way that it applies to every member of the public․ The EU’s support for police reform has – apart from others – been focusing on policy conduct and conformity of police actions with law too.

Araks Martirosyan