Armenian police chief does not exclude an increase in crime as a  result of a declared large-scale amnesty

ArmInfo. The head of the RA Police Valery Osipyan believes that every person who committed a crime should be accountable to the law. This was stated by Osipyan on  November 6 in the parliament, answering the question of how he, the  former hostage, relates to the possibility of the release of Sasna  Tsrer, as well as the country's largest amnesty in the whole history.

The Head of Police recalled that after the well-known events in July  2016, he repeatedly presented his position and voiced it also during  the preliminary investigation. Today, his position has not changed.  "As a representative of the law enforcement system, I think that  every person who commits a crime must answer before the law," he  said.

Osipyan shares the concerns and opinions of the relatives of the  victims. He recalled that the text of the amnesty indicated that the  opinion of the hostages and the relatives of the victims should be  taken into account when making the final decision. "I believe that my  opinion, as well as other hostages and victims should be taken into  account," said Osipyan. At the same time, he stressed that during the  closed session of the government he presented his position and was  satisfied with the text of the amnesty.

Replying to journalists that Pavlik Manukyan, one of the members of  the Sasna Tsrer group, claims that Valery Osipyan was allegedly not  held hostage in those days and ate and drank with them, the police  chief said: "I have nothing more was to do? From seven to eight days  I spent there, leaving all my affairs. "

As for the possible increase in crime as a result of the declared  amnesty, then, according to him, there are unambiguous risks and the  possibility of a relapse is not excluded. But the head of the Police  welcomes the decision as an act of humanism. "I do not rule out that  many have corrected, but I cannot exclude the likelihood of a  relapse," said the police chief. Nevertheless, Osipyan assured that  the police are implementing preventive measures and will carry out  preventive work so that amnestied citizens will not again be behind  bars.

Earlier, at an extraordinary meeting, the National Assembly of  Armenia unanimously adopted a draft law on "About declaring an  amnesty in criminal cases on the 2800th anniversary of  Erebuni-Yerevan foundation and the 100th anniversary of the  independence of the First Republic of Armenia" by 75 votes in favor.

As the Acting Minister of Justice of the Republic of Armenia Artak  Zeynalyan noted earlier, the document submitted by the government of  the country is humanistic in nature and is not intended to relieve  the country's penal institutions. Currently, continued. Minister, the  country's prison contains 2888 prisoners with 5346 places. In the  Nubarashen penal institution, the term of punishment of 644 persons  is served, if there are 780 places in this institution, in the  Vardashen penal institution, if there are 333 seats, 150 people are  serving a criminal sentence. "Thus, the proposal on amnesty is not  intended to relieve the country's penal institutions," Artak  Zeynalyan stressed.