International forum held in Yerevan amid protests

In Yerevan, opposition supporters held a protest action in front of a hotel which hosted an international forum with the participation of Nikol Pashinyan and Western diplomats. Agents of the State Guard did not let opposition MPs into a conference hall.

The “Caucasian Knot” has reported that the Armenian opposition has been holding protest actions since April 25, demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. Today, a march has taken place near a residence of the President of Armenia, where he was visited by the President of Lithuania. The activists called on the European Union (EU) to pay attention to human rights violations in Armenia.

The “Armenian Democracy Forum”, organized by the human rights organization “Freedom House”, has taken place in Yerevan. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Lynne Tracy, and Andrea Wiktorin, US and EU Ambassadors to Armenia, respectively, have participated in the forum.

Opposition supporters greeted Nikol Pashinyan chanting “Armenia without Nikol” and “Nikol is a traitor”. The protestors expressed their dissatisfaction with the US Ambassador, who, according to them, supported the Nikol Pashinyan’s regime. In their hands, the opposition supporters were holding photographs of activists arrested during the actions of disobedience.

“We are committed to continue helping the Armenian people build a future based on shared democratic values, a path they chose in 2018,” US Ambassador Lynne Tracy said as quoted by the “Armenpress” news agency.

The situation escalated when security guards refused to let opposition MPs and media representatives into the hotel. The MPs accused the West of resorting to a policy of double standards.