ArmInfo. The wiretapping of Armenian citizens by the Police will be used in domestic politics and for political purposes. A similar opinion was expressed by ArmInfo chairman of the Helsinki Committee of Armenia, human rights activist Avetik Ishkhanyan.
"If the bill, providing for the right for the police to independently listen to citizens' telephone conversations, is nevertheless passed, this threatens the total surveillance of the state for all of us. In this light, I consider this decision as an invasion of the personal space of every Armenian citizen with the aim of practically monitoring over all his steps, "he stressed.
On December 11, the National Assembly of Armenia adopted in the first reading amendments to the law "On operational-search activity". The bill provides for the Police to independently listen to suspects' telephone conversations. Note that before the adoption of this law, police apply to obtain relevant information from the NSS.
According to the human rights activist, in the case of the adoption of this bill, any citizen objectionable to the authorities will have to completely abandon telephone calls in order to prevent interference in their personal space. According to his estimates, such a prospect is nothing but a gross violation of democracy and human rights in Armenia.
"I am particularly concerned about the practical application of such opportunities in our country, which is still very far from a democratic legal state. The effectiveness of crime detection and the work of our policemen as a whole is necessary and possible to provide them with training in appropriate skills adopted in civilized countries. And not through giving the police the right to listen to anyone whenever they want, "the human rights activist summed up.