The unprecedented acts of violence used by the police notwithstanding, various public officials presented in a very biased way the events that took place on June 3. Helsinki Committee of Armenia

The Helsinki Committee of Armenia (HCA) human rights non-governmental organization continues monitoring of peaceful assemblies in the Republic of Armenia. Taking into consideration numerous comments and opinions on the rally-march organized by the Resistance Movement on June 3, the HCA publishes its observation finding. The footage produced by an HCA observer and referred to in the present Report are accessible at the following website: https://bit.ly/3MjYGD6.

Observation findings

The rally organized by the Resistance Movement on June 3 was launched at 4 p.m. and was then followed by a march towards the RoA Government building. The participants surrounded the building and intended to block exit of people who were inside. Later on, at 7:10 p.m., the march was resumed and was heading toward Paronyan Street. Numerous elderly people and children took part in the march.

The participants of the rally-march, which was staged by the Resistance Movement, are near the RoA Government building.

At 8:10 p.m., the march stopped at the intersection of Demirchyan-Paronyan Streets, at the driveway leading to the Government’s residential cottages, where rally organizers made speeches using a loudspeaker. Several rows of police officers who formed a human chain blocked not only entry to the driveway leading to the residential cottages but also Demirchyan Street. It is noteworthy that in the past that street was not blocked by the police and the Resistance Movement held marches there, for instance, on May 4, 2022. At the same hour, at the distance of about 300 meters from the blocked section of the street, the Yerevan Wine Days, a street wine festival, was being held .

Left photo: March participants are approaching the intersection of Demirchyan-Paronyan Streets. Right photo: Several rows of police officers formed a human chain and blocked Demirchyan Street.

At 8:30 p.m., I. Saghatelyan, a leader of the rally and an MP from the Armenia Alliance announced that the march will proceed by Demirchyan Street, which by that time had already been blocked by a human chain formed by several rows of police officers. Some police officers were equipped with shields, helmets and truncheons. Many police officers who were performing their official duties at the assembly venue were not wearing insignia at all or it was not visible. Plainclothes police officers were presumably present at the assembly venue .

I. Saghatelyan and several assembly participants approached the rows of police officers with an intention to break through in case the police would not let them pass. Assembly participants started pushing police officers who were holding shields. However, the latter did not give in and forcibly pushed protesters back. Clashes ensued. Assembly participants went on pushing in an attempt to break the human chain. Other police officers were removing protesters. The situation grew extremely tense.

Assembly participants are preparing to break through the human chain formed by police officers.

During the confrontation, police officers resorted to acts of unprecedented violence which are documented in the attached and numbered video materials. Several police officers threw a protester to the ground by punching him in the face . While forcibly taking another protester to a police department, officers were pulling him by his clothes and kicking him . Several minutes later, police officers were forcibly taking yet another protester to a police department and hitting him in the process . Then they subjected a different protester to beating. Several of them were punching him from behind . A number of other incidents of assembly participants being subjected to beating and being punched were documented in the video materials of the mass media outlets that were livestreaming from the assembly venue . In one of the disseminated video materials two police officers are beating a protester whom they are forcibly taking to a police department, whereupon another police officer prohibits videotaping . All police actions were accompanied by the use of brute force while forcibly taking assembly participants, including women, to police departments .

Clashes between assembly participants and police officers

For the first time since 2018, the police used stun grenades during an assembly. The first stun grenade exploded near the traffic light located to the right of the entrance to the driveway leading to the Government’s residential cottage and close to police officers who formed a human chain . Next grenades were thrown with more accuracy and were exploding in the air.

During the confrontation, assembly participants were throwing plastic bottles and other objects towards police officers who were throwing them back in the direction of the assembly participants . Some time later, the police formed a chain across Proshyan Street and drew protesters away from Demirchyan Street . The atmosphere grew calmer to some extent and assembly organizers declared that the march will return to France Square by Baghramyan Avenue. Numerous people with torn clothes and with injured face and other body parts could be seen at the assembly venue. It is noteworthy that a group of the march participants who were walking by Baghramyan Avenue were not accompanied by police officers .

Police officer is treating the assembly participant’s head wound

In the aftermath of the incident, the RoA police issued a statement according to which 34 police officers and 16 civilians were taken to various healthcare facilities. 11 protesters were forcibly taken to police departments and one criminal case was instituted .

Conclusions

It is unfortunate that the entire scope of the recommendations made by the Helsinki Committee of Armenia in its previous published Reports still remain relevant .
The unprecedented acts of violence used by the police notwithstanding, various public officials and political forces as well as other members of the public presented in a very biased way the events that took place on June 3, 2022. Members of Parliament from the ruling Civil Contract party described the assembly as not peaceful and referred to protesters as “an aggressive mass,” “hoodlums,” etc. . Even though assembly participants made an attempt to break through the human chain formed by police officers, such modus operandi is not new within the context of assemblies held in Armenia and is not sufficient for qualifying the assembly as not peaceful. The Helsinki Committee of Armenia considers it necessary to quote an excerpt of the results of the monitoring of the assembly held in Baghramyan Avenue on April 16, 2018, which are entirely available in the HCA Report .

On April 16, 2018, N. Pashinyan was heading an assembly in Baghramyan Avenue. Approaching the police barrier, he announced that “accompanied by you, we, four members of the National Assembly, will go to our work place.” Then, assembly participants attempted to breach the police barrier. During the clashes some assembly participants were holding truncheons raised by policemen, pushed shields and removed fences. One of the protesters threw in the direction of policemen a nylon bag full of trash from the trash container. Several other protesters snatched shields and truncheons from police officers and were pushing the latter. Reciprocal exchange of blows and obscenities was observed. Then the police used stun grenades against the protesters.
There are numerous video materials on the Internet about those events .