‘I Am Responsible for Calling Him a Liar’: The Woman Who Criticized Prime Minister Pashinyan Explains to Aravot.am

Maria Pavleyan, the woman who called Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan a 'liar' while he was walking through the historic streets of Gyumri, shared her thoughts with Aravot.am amid widespread discussions and criticisms online. She explained why she approached the Prime Minister and accused him of deceiving the nation, stating that he is no different from Serzh Sargsyan.

“No one sent me; I don’t know why such false news is spreading online. I am responsible for every word I said to Pashinyan. As an MP, Nikol Pashinyan was very appealing to us, criticizing Sargsyan's shortcomings, saying gas prices are high and that we have been deceived, claiming electricity is expensive and that we have been misled. He even said that beneficiaries cannot afford to buy meat and many similar things… I was a supporter of the revolution, but after Nikol Pashinyan took office, I saw no change,” she stated.

“I approached him to ask why gas prices haven't decreased. For three years, I've installed a heating system, but I'm unable to use it. I burn plastic and walk five kilometers every day to save 100 drams commuting to work. I walk from Manushyan Street to the central market and carry back at least 5-6 kilograms of plastic,” she added.

“I work in a shop from morning till evening, but I don’t receive the salary I’m supposed to get… There were many reasons to be indignant; on one hand, we believed in him, and on the other hand, he hasn't justified our hopes. I went to ask him these questions, but I don’t know whether it was the bodyguard or who it was; that person wouldn’t let me move forward, and I was even more frustrated. You let people take pictures with the Prime Minister, but don’t allow someone who wants to voice their complaints to speak even a couple of words. Why is that?”

She also noted that her voice is loud, and she wasn’t shouting at the Prime Minister; that is just her normal speaking tone. She recounted an incident where she tried to approach him near the Plaza Victoria hotel, but the bodyguards pushed her away and didn’t let her get close. Furthermore, according to her, they forcibly took her phone for a moment, wrote down the numbers, and then returned it; one of the people standing there referred to her as 'girl.'

“I told him to go tell his girlfriend, but I have no idea who that person was,” Maria concluded.

The full article can be read on aravot.am.