Freedom House urges Armenian authorities to conduct an immediate, independent investigation into a mob attack against the offices of the Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly (HCA), a leading human rights organization, and the failure of police forces to calm the crowd or intervene when the situation began to turn violent.
A total of 36 organizations, including non-governmental organizations, “Yerkrapah” Voluntary Union, and local representations of political parties signed a call to residents of the Lori Region urging them to come out and protest against the organizers and supporters of the festival on April 16, 2012, and to demand that the festival is cancelled, otherwise threatened to take actions on the day of the festival.
The authorities should immediately conduct a thorough investigation into an attack against a leading human rights organization in Armenia’s northern town of Vanadzor, Human Rights Watch said today.
Lori Marz State Prosecutor Karen Shahbazyan surprised reporters yesterday by stating that ‘throwing stones and eggs’ is an accepted form of civic protest.
Bishop Ajapahyan argued that participating in such an event would mean participating in the adulation of Azerbaijani films.
Some 100 people showed up in Gyumri yesterday morning to halt the showing of an Azerbaijani film festival due to take place at the Asparez Club.
Scores of people were on hand today in the central square of Gyumri, Armenia’s second largest city, to protest an Azerbaijani film festival called “Stop” scheduled to start tomorrow.