Armenian ombudsperson finally meets with lawyer ill-treated at police station
Armenia’s Human Rights Defender Anahit Manasyan has finally met with lawyer Karen Alaverdyan, who was beaten up by police officers in early June.
The lawyer claimed he was assaulted and detained while trying to stop police officers from kicking and punching his client at the police headquarters of Yerevan’s Kentron district on June 7.
The Prosecutor General’s Office assigned the probe into the lawyer’s beating to the National Security Service.
Lawyers staged multiple protests in support of Alaverdyan outside law enforcement agencies in Yerevan last month.
In a statement on Saturday, the ombudsperson’s office said Manasyan had submitted letters to the Prosecutor General's Office and the Interior Ministry, calling for a thorough probe into the circumstances of the incident.
At the meeting with the ombudsperson on Friday, the lawyer expressed concerns over the course of the criminal investigation, insisting on a swift preliminary probe into the case.
“The HRD will take all necessary measures within her power on the basis of the additional information provided,” reads the statement.
Related news
- Lawyers 'gift' boxing gloves to head of Yerevan Central Police Station
- Lawyer ill-treated at Yerevan police station charged with hooliganism
- Lawyer joins protest outside Armenia's Interior Ministry wearing body armor, helmet