Yerevan/Mediamax/. Human Rights Watch (HRW) international organization has urged Armenian authorities to immediately open a thorough and impartial investigation to determine whether the force used by the police in the morning of June 23 was lawful and proportionate.

“Police in Armenia used force to disperse a largely peaceful protest on June 23, 2015, raising concerns about potential human rights violations. The authorities should immediately open a thorough and impartial investigation to determine whether the force used was lawful and proportionate, and if not, ensure accountability for those responsible for use of excessive force. They should investigate all allegations of beatings, unlawful destruction of journalists’ equipment, and arbitrary detention of journalists covering the protests. The investigation should also examine the circumstances in which water cannons were deployed,” reads HRW’s press release.

Senior South Caucasus researcher at Human Right Watch Giorgi Gogia noted that “even if the Yerevan demonstration was unauthorized, nothing can justify physical attacks on largely peaceful demonstrators and journalists covering the protests.”

“Police responsible for beating protesters and interfering with the work of journalists should be held to account. The authorities should make clear at the highest levels that aggressive and illegal police actions will absolutely not be tolerated,” said Giorgi Gogia.