ARMENIAN OMBUDSPERSON: OFFICERS OF NATIONAL SECURITY SERVICE OF ARMENIA KEEP DISCREDITING THE STATE

PanARMENIAN.Net - At 10:30 a.m. today officers of the National Security Service (NSS) of Armenia came to a limited company engaged in legal counseling and introduced themselves as if they were officers of the Ombudsperson's staff, Armenian Ombudsperson Larisa Alaverdian stated in the course of an on-line interview with OpenArmenia.com. Then, in her words, by means illegal methods, including attempts to use coercion, they tried to frighten the staff of the company with a "document" not having legal force "to invite" the head and the staff of the company to the NSS "for a conversation". Getting a competent and worthy response and not having managed to explain the attempt to get information on the complaints of persons, who have addressed both the company and the Ombudsperson, by deception and fraud in any way, they insensibly disappeared. At that they did not take the statement of the company head on the happening, though it was already sent via mail, being addressed to the NSS head. "The fact evidences that the information that was kept in the processor, withdrawn from the Office of the Ombudsperson, was available to the NSS and is already being used for pressure upon other subjects of the society, including commercial ones,» she stated. «Thus, it is not ruled out that the information will be used for pressure upon citizens also in the future,» the Ombudsperson proved. As of the incident of withdrawal of the processor, letters to the Armenian Prime Minister, President, National Assembly Chairman are prepared: these describe and qualify the occurrence and propose taking respective measures at the state level to prevent similar incidents in the future. At that she noted that such actions have a least negative impact upon the activities of the human rights institution.