05:56, 30 July 2016

CoE urges Armenia to respect human rights

The situation with rebels in Yerevan, who had captured hostages, causes concern, said Thorbjørn Jagland, the Secretary General of the Council of Europe (CoE). He called on the Armenian authorities to respect human rights, including the freedom of assembly.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that since July 17, in Yerevan, the Armenian capital, supporters of the oppositional "Constituent Parliament" are holding the captured building of the police regiment. There are still 22 rebels and two doctors and a nurse, taken hostage, in the building. On July 29, policemen dispersed a protesters' action in support of the rebels, as a result, 55 demonstrators and four policemen were hospitalized. More than 100 people were taken to police stations. Journalists also suffered during the dispersal.

Mr Jagland has called on all the opposing parties in Armenia "to return to the use of democratic means," says the CoE's statement.

The CoE's Secretary General believes that democracy, the rule of law and human rights should prevail.

The experts, earlier interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot", have stated the inadmissibility of taking medics as hostages.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.