YEREVAN. – As Armenian News-NEWS.am informed earlier the OSCE/ODIHR Election Observation Mission issued on Saturday its third post-election Interim Report on the February 18 presidential elections in Armenia.

And the country’s Police issued a statement in response. 

“It [that is, the report] reflects specifically on the Police statements in connection with the peaceful yet unlawful [public] assemblies by [opposition Heritage Party Chairman] Raffi Hovannisian [who is declared runner-up to the winner, incumbent President Serzh Sargsyan, as a result of the presidential election on February 18, but who claims to be the real winner in the vote].

The Police duty to announce during the assemblies that require a notification but are held without a notification that they are unlawful, and about the statutory responsibility, will continue to be exercised so long as the assemblies that require a notification are held in violation of the provisions of the Law on Freedom of Assembly.

This authorization by Armenia’s Police is stipulated by the Law on Freedom of Assembly, and it is directed at the assembly participants to clarify the consequences of their conduct.

This refers to precaution against committing an administrative offense, and this has nothing to do with the police duty to assist, within the limits of its authority, to a peaceful assembly,” the Armenian Police statement reads in particular.