Armenian police chief orders internal inquiry into use of force against fallen soldiers' parents
The Armenian police chief has ordered an internal inquiry into the use of force against the parents of fallen Armenian soldiers in Yerevan’s Yerablur Military Pantheon on Wednesday.
Riot police dragged away and detained the parents of Armenian soldiers killed in the 2020 Artsakh war as they tried to prevent Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and several other top officials from entering the military cemetery and laying flowers there on the 31st anniversary of Armenia’s independence.
Many experts and politicians condemned the use of force by police officers. In a joint statement on Thursday, 35 NGOs called for the dismissal of Police Chief Vahe Ghazaryan, warning that “otherwise the full responsibility for the illegal actions against the families of fallen soldiers lies with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan himself.”
“Police Chief Vahe Ghazaryan has ordered an internal inquiry into the actions of police officers in Yerablur on September 21,” the police said in a statement.
Related news
- Parents of fallen soldiers remove wreaths laid by Pashinyan, other officials in Yerablur
- Police forcefully detain parents of fallen soldiers in Yerevan military pantheon