Ombudsman of Armenia sent a working group to Syunik due to complaints  from residents about pressure from law enforcement officers

ArmInfo. Ombudsman of Armenia Arman Tatoyan sent a working group of the Human Rights Defender (HRD) to the Syunik region due to the numerous complaints of the residents of the region about pressure from law enforcement officers in  connection with the early parliamentary elections in the country.

"The RA Human Rights Defender has received complaints that in recent  days the law enforcement agencies have been detaining various  residents of the Goris community of the Syunik region and forcing  them to give false testimony. There are also publications on the  Internet that will be sent to the prosecutor's office for  investigation today", Tatoyan informed.

As Tatoyan informs, according to the complaints of residents, they  received social assistance from community structures in different  periods, including in 2021, however, law enforcement agencies,  including police officers, unreasonably detain them, imprison them  for many hours, force give testimony.  In particular, the security  forces force the residents of the community to testify that they  allegedly received this social assistance from the head of Goris, as  well as the leaders of the villages of Karahunj and Vorotan as an  electoral bribe.

"There are also reports that residents are being forced to testify on  a number of other issues. According to residents, they have always  received social assistance, which has nothing to do with voting or  refusing to vote for the current prime minister or head of another  political force. According to the complaints, women are subjected to  special pressure, threats are heard to arrest them and move them to  Yerevan, or detain their spouses if they refuse to give the necessary  testimony, "the Ombudsman notes.

In this regard, in order to ensure the protection of the interests of  the residents of the region, the working group of the HRC will leave  for Syunik, where it will meet with the residents of the communities.

Today the staff of the Ombudsman's office will also visit the  arrested heads of Kajaran, Vorotan and Karaundjan.

It should be noted that at night it became known about the arrest of  the resigned Mayor of Meghri Mkhitar Zakaryan. His whereabouts are  not yet known. However, earlier the Central Election Commission of  Armenia gave permission to arrest Zakaryan. All of the abovementioned  persons are accused of allegedly giving electoral bribes.