Lawyers Appeal to Government to Revoke Mask Mandate for Individuals in Open Spaces

The President of the Bar Association, Ara Zohrabyan, posted on his Facebook page: "EVERY PERSON HAS THE RIGHT TO BREATHE CLEAN AIR. A group of lawyers has submitted a public appeal to the government of Armenia, proposing to revoke the restrictions imposed by the Chief of Police on individuals wearing masks alone in public open spaces, as well as the mandates for family members wearing masks in transportation.

According to the text quoted: In this case, a person's right to breathe has been restricted so that he or she does not infect another person or become infected by someone else. The logic behind this intervention is not evident when the Chief of Police requires a person walking alone in an open-air space to wear a mask. It turns out that a person cannot infect another or be infected by another, but is still obligated to breathe with a mask.

Forcing family members in a vehicle to wear masks also does not stand up to scrutiny, as family members can interact without masks in their home. The only supposed argument that the state may more effectively control the transport of individuals who are not family members does not withstand criticism. It turns out that to facilitate its control, the state is depriving people of their right to breathe, which does not directly correspond to the test of intervention.