In Armenia, activists hold march to condemn police actions against blind oppositionist

In Yerevan, the police have detained Vagram Gabrielyan, an activist of the public initiative "Pre-Parliament". During detention, the policemen used force against blind Alek Enigomshyan, another activist, and then left him along on the road. The capital of Armenia hosted a march in protest against the police actions, the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

On October 18, Alek Enigomshyan took part in an information car rally "100 years without regime" organized by the public initiative "Pre-Parliament". After the rally was finished, when Alek Enigomshyan was returning home in a car of Vagram Gabrielyan, his neighbour and a member of the "Pre-Parliament", he was forced out of the car, handcuffed and searched.

According to Alek Enigomshyan, Vagram Gabrielyan was detained because of a verbal altercation in a road conflict between Vagram Gabrielyan and a man who introduced himself as a policeman.

Alek Enigomshyan believes that the incident has been prepared by the police and that it represents a kind of message for all persons who are fighting against the power.

On October 19, Police Chief Vladimir Gasparyan appointed an official investigation into the incident. However, Alek Enigomshyan believes that the Vladimir Gasparyan's decision on the service investigation indicates that the police do not want to institute criminal proceedings.

Meanwhile, Armen Garbuzyan, the head of the Department of Police Internal Security, has noted that in 2013, following the results of the appointed official investigations, 26 staff members were dismissed from the police because of commitment of different violations.