They demand the former Senior Lieutenant Arthur Vardgesyan to come and publicly apologize to Hakob Nazaryan, 67, whom he slapped during the protest held by “Stand up, Armenia” initiative yesterday.
Yerevan Deputy Chief of Police Valery Osipyan said the policeman cannot be present at the meeting physically, since he has injuries and is undergoing hospital treatment.
Head of Armenian Police Public Relations and Information Department Ashot Aharonyan urged the protestors to wait for a legal assessment and not shift the case to the moral field.
“Our citizens are sometimes requiring justice by illegal methods. Apparently, we saw the blow and condemn it. No one says the police officer acted proportionally, but there are procedures stipulated by law; sometimes we can’t tolerate,” Aharonyan said.
The protestors are also demanding to hold the senior lieutenant criminally liable and compensate for Hakob Nazaryan’s broken hearing aid.
According to Aharonyan, the protestors’ demand has been fulfilled: the activity of the police officer, who acted unproportionally, has been stopped and the case files have been sent to Armenia’s Prosecutor General’s Office.
Large number of policemen is controlling the protestors.
“Stand up, Armenia” initiative has also joined the members of “No to Plunder” initiative.
Photo
