Protection of Rights without Borders NGO Recommendation on “RA Police Reforms for 2020-2022”

1. It is recommended to establishe Ministry of Internal Affairs, which will operate under the RA Police by the RA Police Reforms Strategy for 2020-2020 presented by the RA Ministry of Justice.

The necessity to establish such model is conditioned by carrying out parliamentary oversight towards the police through the application of larger mechanisms.

By evaluating the regulations directed towards the insurance of the parliamentary oversight scopes and enlarging the relevant scope, we consider that it is necessary to ensure civil society with the authority of carrying out institutional oversight and effective mechanisms towards the police activities as well.

Recommendation

Prescribe at strategy level, establishment of a public council consisted of civil society representatives, thus ensuring independent and professional civil society oversight towards the police activities.

2. By the presented strategy it is prescribed to demilitarize the police troops and transfer the latter to national guard.

It is necessary to fact, that the activities of the police troops for the last years and usefulness of the insurance of the legislative regulations for the implementation of the relevant activities are evaluated positive.

At the police reform level, such evaluation of the police troops is unacceptable taking into consideration the practice of gross human rights violation by the police troops during the peaceful assemblies of 2015, 2016 2018 respectively taking place in Armenia. The legal violations during the peaceful assemblies are not given any legal evaluation, a progress by the current criminal cases are recorded, the proceedings by the criminal cases are suspended and only very few policemen were subjected to criminal prosecution. Moreover, the legal violations of the peaceful assemblies did not receive also political evaluation with the confirmation of the police troops to serve the relevant authority and to exclude such violations in future.

Recommendation

Ensure the possibility to ensure the efficient human rights protection mechanisms in case of police violations during the peaceful assemblies and compensation possibility to exclude the repetition of such practice, as well as, the possible further continuation of implementing the official duties of a policeman who committed legal violation