I Did Well, I Did Little: Woman Who Struck Pashinyan with an Umbrella Speaks Out

Following the incident, we witnessed the reality of the country led by Nikol Pashinyan; we had victims and injuries yesterday. And after all this, I say that what I did was not wrong, and I do not regret it.

This was stated by Narine Asatryan, the woman who threw an umbrella at the Prime Minister, in an interview with MediaHub.

“The grave situation of the country is nothing new, and he, as Prime Minister, should certainly be aware of what is happening. And in this situation, he comes to Vayots Dzor, tours the villages, discusses road issues, inspects asphalt, and gives instructions. As a Prime Minister, the first thing you should do is go to the border, see the positions, and convince yourself by your own eyes that people are digging up their fields, building trenches. Against this background, what could a conscious citizen have expected?” she said.

In an interview with the news outlet, Narine Asatryan clarified that she was aware of Pashinyan's visit.

“I was in the yard, on the other side of the wall; the wall wasn’t very high, and they weren’t clearly visible. I didn’t throw the umbrella; I hit with it, and I didn’t see if it would actually hit him, but it seems it didn't. This protest did not have any personal gain; I did not demand any certificate for the house or anything similar, even though my house has been handed over to the enemy. My pain, my agitation comes from the situation in the country, as we do not know where we are headed. Every day we hear about new casualties, and every night we go to sleep with the fear that we might have given up more territories by morning. Yes, he must leave and make way for someone who can at least pull us out of this abyss a little,” said the woman from Berdzor.

She also shared that she moved to Berdzor with her family in 2003 and left their home last August, resettling in Malishka. “Now there are families from Artsakh in Malishka again. My act wasn’t condemned by many in the village; there are people saying I should have approached and expressed my demands, but if I had approached, it could have been worse. I have nothing to say to him directly; if I came closer, what would I say? One person approached and said to unite the people, and he said, 'Well, I am uniting.' Is this your uniting? The people are losing everything while being united. Where is he taking us? He must resign, he cannot do anything useful,” she emphasized.

Asked how long after the incident she was detained, Asatryan responded that Pashinyan's security personnel were present, along with police, around the area, and they approached her after she threw the umbrella. “The police actually approached very calmly, no force was used; they said it was not worth doing such a thing. I was detained from my yard, Pashinyan was still in the village, but he had already moved away from home,” she said. The woman stated that she does not regret her actions, was released with a signature, but does not rule out that the case may have a different course.

“It is possible that I will be imprisoned, but still, I do not regret it; I did it, I did well, I did little. How can I go on with my life calmly when I hear about every victim? They are all my children; what difference does it make if one is big or small? They are my people,” she concluded.