Special Investigation Service of Armenia has cancelled the motions presented by the Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly Vanadzor Office, as reported in the press release issued by the Office.   

The press release reads, in part:

“On July 2, 2015, the RA Special Investigation Service initiated criminal proceedings under Article 309(2), Article 164(2) and Article 185(1) of the RA Criminal Code, upon the crime report by the Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly Vanadzor and the reports published by the mass media.

Within the criminal case, the Organization filed 2 motions to the investigative agency to involve the police officers who exerted violence against the peaceful protesters on Baghramyan Avenue as accused and give a legal assessment to their actions.

The other motion stated that charges should be brought against Hounan Poghosyan, Deputy Chief of the RA Police, and Levon Yeranosyan, Deputy Chief of Police and Commander of the RA Police Troops and supplement the charges with the grounds evidencing the fact that the latter concealed the crimes of the police destroying the video cameras and memory cards of the journalists who shot acts of violence, since L. Yeranosyan and H. Poghosyan by their actions allowed a publicly dangerous act: ordering the police officers to destroy the videos shot by journalists aimed to conceal the crimes committed by the police and such behavior was motivated by the desire to conceal the crimes committed by them and high-ranking police officials.

Considering the filed motions, the authority conducting the proceeding has made a decision on 21.07.2015 to cancel the motions until the essential circumstances for the decision on the motion become clear.”