To Have an Effective Police Force, Officers Should Not Be Restrained in Acting Within the Law: Badasyan

To have an effective police force, it is necessary for officers to act within the law without being restrained and not subjected to unnecessary criticism. This was stated by the Minister of Justice of Armenia, Rustam Badasyan, on his Facebook page, in reference to a video circulating on social media regarding the apprehension of a citizen by police officers.

“Regarding the video of the citizen's apprehension that circulated on social media today, I find it necessary to make several notes. The video presents only a part of the incident; it is evident from the first seconds of the video that one of the officer's hats is on the ground, but the actions that preceded this, including the alleged behavior and actions of the citizen not complying with the legal demands of the police, are not visible,” wrote Badasyan.

According to the Minister of Justice, it is only possible to predict and evaluate the credibility of the declaration, “Let it go, I’m coming,” in the context of having witnessed the citizen's behavior preceding the statement, and therefore the proportionality of the police’s actions.

It should be reminded that today a video has been circulated online showing police personnel placing handcuffs on and apprehending a citizen. In connection with the video, the police reported that the citizen was brought to the police station for failing to comply with a lawful demand. However, some users on social media believe that the police used excessive force against the citizen.