The RA Special Investigation Service Discontinued the Criminal Case Instituted in Regard to the Citizens who Suffered the Ill treatment of the Police during the Protests of April 16-23 of 2018

On August 9 of 2019, the RA Special Investigation Service suspended the proceeding of the criminal case number 62212818 instituted in regard to the citizens, who suffered the ill treatment of the policemen during the protests within the period of April 16-23 of 2018 in the Republic of Armenia.

The proceeding of the criminal case was suspended for the first time on November 6 and after 8 months and the Special Investigation Service justified the decision on suspension with the same ground: “the person to be involved as accused is unanimous”.

Eight months later after the discontinuation of the proceeding, the body in charge of conducting the proceeding recorded, that “large scale investigative and other judicial activities were carried out, the necessary operative-investigative measures were taken to detect the identifications of the persons accused of committing publically dangerous deeds, but it was impossible to detect the persons, who should have been involved as victims.

The first decision on the suspension of the criminal case dated November 16 of 2018 was appealed to the RA Prosecutor General’s Office by the advocates of “The Protection of Rights without Borders” NGO, who are the representatives of the victims by the given case.

On April 29 of 2019, the RA Prosecutor General’s Office rejected the appeal.

As a justification for the decision, the Prosecutor General’s Office mentioned, that all the necessary investigative and judicial activities were carried out, operative-investigative measures were taken, as a result of which, sufficient evidence was not obtained on accusation of a person into a publically dangerous dead: it was impossible to detect those persons, who should have been involved in the criminal cases as accused, therefore, the investigator made a legal, conditioned decision and there are no grounds to eliminate the latter.

On May 29 of 2019, the advocates of the Organization appealed the decision of the Prosecutor General’s Office in judicial order.

On July 12 of 2019, during the judicial examination of the criminal case, the RA Special Investigation Service made a decision to restart the proceeding of the discontinued criminal case.