From 13 April, 2018, the rally led by Nikol Pashinyan, the RA National Assembly Deputy was held with the intention of blocking the roads in Yerevan, hindering the normal activities of the organizations, blocking the vital transport links, paralyzing the traffic, disobeying the legitimate demands of the police officers, and violent acts against them with manifestations mass disorder.

The organizers of the rallies regularly call on the MPs to hinder the MPs entry to the National Assembly and to block the building of the National Assembly. Despite the fact that the illegal restrictions of human rights and the group actions that violate public order have been of continuous nature, the RA Police, being guided by the principle of proportionality under Article 78 of the Constitution of the Republic of Armenia, has been giving only verbal warnings and to the organizers and participants for 3 days, which, however, were completely ignored by the assembly leader and participants.

The police did not apply any other actions to interfere the right to freedom of assembly because the rally was mostly peaceful. The gathering for a certain period of time has ceased to be peaceful, especially when on April 16, Nikol Pashinyan directed the participants to Bagramyan Avenue trying to break through the public security guard bar. Mass protests have resulted in fierce clashes, resulting in damage to people’s health and public property.

According to Article 5 (1) of the RA Law on Freedom of Assembly, “the freedom of assembly may be restricted only in case, when in a democratic society the protection of state security or the public order, the prevention of crime, or the protection of public health and morals (hereinafter referred to as public interests) or of the constitutional rights and freedoms of others (hereinafter referred to as constitutional rights of others) are dominant in regard of the freedom of assembly.”

The police declare that the length of the assembly, which is accompanied by the gross violations of public order, the deliberate actions aimed at paralyzing traffic and the creation of large-scale inconveniences for all the residents of the capital, and finally the mass disorder by some participants of the assembly, causing physical and property damage to the constitutional rights and public interest of others, and in addition it is no longer possible to prevent their disproportionate restrictions, taking into account that the numerous appeals, warnings and the legal requirements were categorically ignored by the assembly leader and participants.

Based on the Article 33 of the RA Law on Freedom of Assembly, on 16.04.2018, the Police decided to terminate the assembly and demanded from the assembly leader to fulfill it immediately and to inform the participants of the rally. We clarify that in compliance with the mentioned article of the law, the absence of the assembly leader or the failure of the latter to fulfill the demand of the Police, the representative of the Police shall at least twice demand by loudspeaker that the participants terminate the assembly, setting a reasonable time period for doing so. At the same time, the Police representative shall warn the assembly participants of his power, in case of failure to terminate the assembly voluntarily during the set time period, to disperse the assembly, including the use of special means defined in the Republic of Armenia Law “On Police”.

Armenian Police