Armenia’s Human Rights Defender (HRD) Arman Torosyan (photo) today announced that police officers used excessive force when they recently arrested a citizen in Yerevan for not wearing a face mask in public.

The incident was caught on camera and the video was later posted on social media, prompting Torosyan to send HRD staffers to the police station where the person in question was being held.

The HRD, in a statement, said that police officers used disproportionate force to detain the citizen.

“The law, of course, authorized the police to employ physical force or special means, including the authority to use a handcuff, but such measures must be commensurate with the intended purpose and the specific situation, taking into account the alleged offense in which the physical force or special measure is used. Of course, a strong police force is a necessary condition for guaranteeing human rights, but the actions of police officers in any case cannot be accompanied by actions that violate the dignity of the individual,” the HRD’s statement reads.

The HRD statement concludes by calling on all citizens to follow the health safety guidelines issued to stop the spread of the coronavirus in the country.

The country’s State of Emergency Command (SEC) has announced that that wearing face masks in all open-air public places is henceforth mandatory in Armenia.

“Citizens will have to wear a mask from the moment they leave home - in the yard, in the elevator, and even while walking down the street. We need to wear masks because crowded walks are also a source of infection,” Pashinyan announced on June 3 at a news briefing after a SEC meeting.