Policy Forum Armenia condemns in strongest possible terms the brutal treatment of Alec Yenigomshian, a blind political activist, by police in downtown Yerevan on October 19, 2014. According to media reports, Yenigomshian was forced out of a car and left standing on a busy section of a street despite his numerous warnings that he cannot see, while the car and its driver were taken into custody.

We urge human rights organizations and our partners in Armenia to help identify the perpetrators and hold them accountable and stand ready to assist. Police brutality in Armenia should end. These and other politically motivated repressions against prominent activists will not diminish our people’s resolve to bring down the regime in Yerevan and put Armenia on a path to development and progress.

As the Genocide’s Centennial approaches, the Diaspora communities around the world will be watching closely how the regime treats its subjects today, especially those who kept the flames of the Armenian cause alive for years and played a major role in our nation’s latest victory in the war in Artsakh, both against all odds.