The Armenian police have decided to take more than one hundred demonstrators who participated in various protest actions on December 2, 2013 to court and to fine them 50,000 AMD each.

Yesterday, I also reported that the police had destroyed all video footage it had taken on that day,

[On Dec. 2, Russian President Vladimir Putin made a one day visit to Armenia in a symbolic show of support of President Serzh Sargsyan’s decision to enter the Russia-led Customs Union. Hundreds of demonstrators in Yerevan protested Putin’s visit and Sargsyan’s decision to join the Customs Union.]

So, the only evidence now remaining to indict the demonstrators with any criminal activity are the reports filed by the detaining police officers.

Here is one such report filed by Police Patrol Unit No. 3 Junior Sergeant M. Melkonyan. (The report was dispatched to the Kentron District Police Chief)

“I wish to report to you that on Dec. 2 I was patrolling Amiryan Street. At around 2:30 pm, we noticed a group of citizens that had entered the middle of the street. They were yelling and prevented traffic from moving. We approached and asked them to return to the sidewalk and stop making noise. Not heeding our instructions, they remained in the traffic lanes. We took three of them into custody.”

The report fails to mention that the citizens had been participating in a march. Naturally, as participants in a legal march, they were making noise and walking down the street and not the sidewalk.

Against the backdrop of this comic tragedy, I must also point out that the video footage clearly shows that the members of the “Red Beret” unit directly detained marchers without making any prior demands.

I should also add that this report is now being studied at the police department’s internal security division.

This report does not differ much from other reports filed that day regarding the detention of citizens.

Karen Avagyan, a member of the same Police Patrol Unit, detained four citizens marching along Nalbandyan Street.

The report he filed is the same, word for word. The only difference is that his penmanship is   better.