On December 2, on the day of the Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to Armenia protest actions were held in Yerevan against Armenia’s joining the Customs Union. At around 14:00 the Police hindered the most massive action, detaining and taking over more than a dozen participants of the march along the central streets of the capital.
Levon Barseghyan, Chairman of Journalists’ Club “Asparez” in Gyumri was among the detained. As Levon Barseghyan told YPC, the action participants were taken to the Yerevan Kentron Police Station and were released about four hours later. According to Levon Barseghyan, the Police compiled a report where the detainment was grounded by Article 180-1 (“Violation of Legal Procedure for Assembly”) of the RA Code of Administrative Violations.
Police officers also arrested Hraparak.am correspondent Vardan Minasyan who was covering the action. Hraparak.am published the details of the incident on the same day in the pieces titled “Hraparak.am correspondent was beaten” and "What Happened in Police Car, and Then in Police Station". In particular, when Vardan Minasyan intended to shoot Levon Barseghyan’s detention, Ashot Karapetyan, Head of Yerevan Police, unexpectedly stood in his way and snatched the video camera from his hands, with two policemen forcing the journalist into a car. According to Hraparak.am, in the car the policemen were “appeasing” the two detained people, sitting next to the journalist. A man in a Police uniform who hurried to help them, and was called “Serozhik,” gave Vardan Minasyan a blow to the chin.
On the same day, December 2, an announcement was posted onto the RA Police website, stating that an internal investigation has been launched on the incident with the Hraparak.am correspondent Vardan Minasyan.
