Aram Manoukian Institute issues white paper documenting systematic police brutality in Armenia since 2023

WATERTOWN—On August 14, the Aram Manoukian Institute for Strategic Planning released a new policy white paper, Escalation of State Violence: Systematic Police Brutality in Armenia Since 2023, detailing what the authors describe as a sustained pattern of excessive force, mass arbitrary detentions and intimidation directed at peaceful demonstrators, journalists, clergy and opposition figures.

Co-authored by Hrayr Aghavelyan, JD; Ruben (Ruen) Melikyan, JD and Elisenda Calvet-Martínez, Ph.D., the report finds that protest policing in Armenia has undergone a qualitative shift since 2023, marked by the routine deployment of elite tactical units and the use of stun grenades and tear gas in largely peaceful settings—often absent adequate warnings, planning or medical safeguards. The paper argues that these practices erode civil liberties, chill free expression and undermine Armenia’s obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR),  the Convention Against Torture (CAT) and the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).