Police Detain Protesters Near the National Assembly

Police officers have detained lawyers holding a protest in front of the National Assembly, demanding the allowance of peaceful gatherings during the state of emergency. According to a correspondent from NEWS.am, four individuals were detained: Ruben Melikyan, Robert Hayrapetyan, Ashot Hambardzumyan, and Armen Galstyan.

Larisa Alaverdyan, a former human rights defender who had also joined the protest, had already left before the police arrived, while Avetik Ishkhanyan, present at the scene, was not detained, stating that he was there as an observer.

"This was not a gathering; it was a protest by individuals, and the police detained them for not complying with the unlawful demands of the police," said Avetik Ishkhanyan, the president of the Helsinki Committee of Armenia, to reporters.

It is noteworthy that the lawyers were standing at a social distance from each other, conducting what they described as individual protests, emphasizing that they were not violating any restrictions imposed by the authorities. However, the police insisted that this was a violation of the ban on gatherings and threatened administrative detention for participants if the protest did not cease.

Today, the National Assembly will discuss the government's decision to extend the state of emergency by another 30 days. The lawyers called on them to present demands for lifting the restrictions on gatherings during the discussion. It is important to recall that a state of emergency was declared in Armenia on March 16 due to the coronavirus pandemic, and according to the decision of the authorities, all types of gatherings have been prohibited during this period.