Bright Armenia condemns criminal persecution based on political expediency and selective application of law

Bright Armenia faction has released a statement referring to the developments over the leader of Prosperous Armenia party Gagik Tsarukyan.

In the statement the party stressed that the Armenian Police used disproportionate force and apprehended 252 people using administrative arrest against them and demonstrating disrespectful attitude toward citizens and deputies.

“Bright Armenia party reaffirms that people who committed crime must be subjected to criminal persecution and be convicted in accordance with the Armenian Legislation. At the same time, staying committed to the values of legal state and principle of the rule of law, we condemn the political influence and control over any criminal persecution,” the party’s statement reads.

The political force stressed that each person who has violated the law must bear the responsibility, but the usage of legal processes, as well as blackmailing and incriminating information as a political tool for silencing the opponents is inadmissible and condemnable.

The party also stressed that the political influence on the law enforcement bodies eliminates the legality of the criminal persecution, while in parallel with the mentioned processes representatives of the ruling force, including deputies and ministers, were disseminating in social networks proofs that are considered to be secret in the preliminary investigation phase.

“Moreover, the officials were making statements with the obvious violation of presumption of innocence of the person. It is remarkable that criminal cases were filed on different occasions on the same day and the same person was summoned for interrogation over the same cases. The above mentioned clearly shows that the criminal persecution takes place with political interference and control,” the statement said, adding that this already proves the evident absence of frankness of the ruling political force in the implementation of state policy and them being guided with dual standards which is demonstrated with incriminating policy and selective application of law.

“Bright Armenia party strictly condemns the criminal persecution based on political expediency and selective application of law. We urge the authorities to engage in fight against the pandemic, control of complicated social-economic situation leaving the criminal persecution to exclusively law enforcement bodies,” the statement said.