Advocates call for resignation of police chief

A three-day strike of advocates has started in Yerevan. They
are protesting against the acts of violence committed in the police department
within the past few months.

According to advocate Gor Gevorgyan, they merely demand that
state agencies keep to the letter of the law.

“We were witnesses to an act of violence against an
advocate. A police officer uses violence against an advocate in order to do his
job. Such a casual attitude, either by authorities or law enforcement agencies,
hasn’t been recorded before,” the advocate said.

More than 502 advocates are calling for the resignation of
the chief of police. Ara Zohrabyan noted that the advocates’ protest action is
not staged against the institution of police, but against representatives of
the system who resort to violence.

“We demand that Aram Hovhannisyan resign as chief of police,
as all acts of violence were committed during his time in office. The chief of
police has in no way responded to the acts of violence. As for the police
officers who committed violence, they went unpunished,” Ara Zohrabyan noted.

They have set off on a march from the Chamber of Advocates
to the building of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

To remind, actions of advocates started following the June 7
incident, when police officers used violence and arrested advocate Karen
Alaverdyan. The latter was trying to protect his defendant from being beaten.