Azerbaijan, Baku, Aug. 15 /Trend, E.Tariverdiyeva/
During their detention on Aug. 11, the Armenian oppositionists experienced the violation of their right to have lawyers after the detention, said Georgi Gogia, Human Rights Watch representative in South Caucasus.
"The question of guilt or innocence of the oppositionists is beyond the competence of our organization, but each detainee from the moment of detention has the right to have lawyer, and this right in the case of the Armenian opposition activists have been violated," Gogia to Trend.
According to the ANC (the Armenian National Congress), on Aug. 9, the police used violence against the activists of the ANC Tigran Arakelyan and Artak Karapetyan, Panarmenian reported. After arriving at the scene, the Congress activists Areg Gevorgyan, Sahak Muradyan, Vahagn Gevorgyan, Sargis Gevorgyan, David Kiramijyan, and their attempts to resolve the situation, violence was used against them as well. All these persons were taken to the police. According to the ANC, violence and violations of law have been made with regard to their lawyers, after which an illegal decision was made to arrest above-mentioned persons.
According Gogia, currently three people are in custody, with regards to whom a decision was made on two months preliminary detention. According to him, these individuals are blamed for committing acts of hooliganism and resisting authority, the police claims that activists used force.
"Human Rights Watch will continue to monitor the situation with the opposition and hopes that during the investigation of the incident, all rights of detainees will be followed," said Gogia.