The Armenian government says it banned Mourad ‘Franck’ Papazian, co-president of the Coordination Council of Armenian Organizations of France (CCAF) and a member of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation, from entering Armenia because “he was one of the persons who organized an attack against the convoy of a government delegation led by the Prime Minister near the Armenian Embassy in France on June 1 last year.”

Papazian was barred from entering Armenia on July 13 after touching down at Yerevan’s Zvartnots Airport.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s Public Relations Office, responding to a question posed by ArmenPress, claims a group of protesters threw various objects towards a convoy taking Pashinyan to the embassy, thus violating Article 8 of the Armenia’s Law "On Foreigners".

The office says evidence of the attack appears on the internet and that others in the group have also been barred from Armenia.

Papazian, in a Facebook post today, claims he didn’t participate in the protest rally in Paris on June 1 and that he’s visited Armenia at least four times since then.

“The Prime Minister's office obviously can't provide proof of their claim as I didn't attend this rally. They are lying. I will take all legal actions to defend myself to have my right to return to Armenia restored,” Papazian writes.