Police Brutality, Civil Disobedience, & Protests for Almost Two Months

Image caption: Police brutality continues to rise as protests do not intend on dying down anytime soon (image by Armenia Alliance Facebook page).

The opposition protests demanding the resignation of RA Prime Minister Pashinyan have now been ongoing for almost two months – that’s if you start counting after the day of Pashinyan’s infamous speech on April 16. Since the last week to week recap, read on to be up-to-date- with the latest updates from the ground.

On the 28th of May, the date of the establishment of the First Republic of Armenia, massive protests swept through Yerevan and Stepanakert. Former RA President Robert Kocharyan partook in the marches.

On the 30th of May, protestors blocked the Government building on Republic Square. Police brutality was recorded on cam, and opposition MP Aram Vartevanyan was seen being strangled by authority officers.

On the 3rd of June, a special parliament session was to be held to discuss the Armenia-Turkey normalisation process and the situation on the border. Only 33 MPs showed up and quorum was not achieved. Pashinyan’s ruling Civil Contract party had revealed their intentions to boycott the session. The session was not held.

The 3rd of June also saw the biggest escalation of violence during protests. Warning shots and stun grenades were fired by authority police. Major clashes took place in front of Pashinyan’s residence. The Ministry of Health said 50 individuals have been hospitalised because of the clashes. The Police said they’d detained 11 protestors and blamed protestors for the violent behaviour.

Notable News

Image caption: Two new TUMO Boxes launched in Artsakh. Read on to find out! (Photo by TUMO.org).

• Armenian soldier Davit Vardanian succumbs to his injuries on May 29 after receiving injuries from Azerbaijani bullets the day before.

• Arshak Makichyan, a known Russian-Armenian violinist, may have his citizenship stripped due to his stances on climate change and the war on Ukraine.

• Hovhannes Bachkov of Armenia wins the European Boxing gold medal for his third time.

• TR President Erdogan has asked the Prime Minister of Sweden to dismiss the Minister of Defense if Sweden wants the approval to join NATO.

• Edward Spertzian named Player of the Year for Krasnodar’s Football Club.

• TUMO Boxes launched in Artsakh’s Askeran and Martuni.

• State institutions now have the right to revoke press rights of journalists, going against rights of freedom of expression and media freedoms. This bill was passed in the National Assembly on the 25th of May.

• Azerbaijan blocks Artsakh State Minister Artak Beglaryan’s interview conducted by Russian state media RIA.

• EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus and the Crisis in Georgia Toivo Klaar says no solution for Artsakh can be reached without listening to the Armenians of Karabakh.

• US Senator Bob Menendez opposes the sale of arms to Turkey.

• Bulgaria unveils a Charles Aznavour monument on Saedinenie Square, Varna.

• The iGorts fellowship program inviting Diaspora to work in their fields for the public sector has been internationally recognised as a best practice for  Public Sector Innovation by the UN.

• Meet Türkiye, the country. Turkey officially changes its name to Türkiye to avoid any confusion with… the bird. The UN has approved this name change.

• Yerevan Wine Days attracts tens of thousands of wine aficionados on Saryan Street over the past weekend.

• Manuscript Heritage of Artsakh & Utik – a new book has been published to spotlight the destruction and falsification of Armenian manuscript heritage in Artsakh.

Multimedia Corner

Image caption: The newest branding for Armenia’s tourism marketing, watch it below! Courtesy Armenia’s Ministry of Tourism.

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