Videos of the incident show members of a special police unit punching, kicking and swearing at the lawmaker, Ashot Simonian, outside the Yerevan headquarters of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutyun) party, a key member of the main opposition Hayastan alliance.
The Armenian Interior Ministry said it swiftly launched an “internal inquiry” into the policemen’s behavior that drew strong condemnation from opposition leaders and human rights campaigners. It said later on Monday one of the officers has been suspended as a result.
The ministry did not explain why such disciplinary action was not taken against the other violent officers. Its spokesman said only that the inquiry is not over.
As of Tuesday evening, neither the police nor other law-enforcement agencies reported a formal criminal investigation into the incident. Artsvik Minasian, another Dashnaktsutyun lawmaker, decried this fact. Minasian said the authorities have enough video evidence to prosecute “at least four or five policemen” on charges of torture and abuse of power. He accused them of trying to cover up the police brutality.
The incident occurred as security forces unblocked streets in Yerevan blocked by antigovernment protesters, arresting about 300 of them in the process. It is not clear what exactly caused it.
Speaking to RFE/RL’s Armenian Service, Minasian said his opposition colleague was assaulted because he stopped the special police squad from “illegally” entering the Dashnaktsutyun headquarters. The Interior Ministry did not explicitly deny this.
Zaruhi Hovannisian, an independent human rights activist, expressed outrage at the police actions. She said they were made possible by impunity enjoyed by the Armenian riot police.