Several dozen people taking part in a car rally organized by the civic initiative Founding Parliament were prevented from entering Karabakh near Berdzor by masked men, civilians and police officers. Before being forced back, the participants of the car rally were attacked and beaten severely by security forces that had closed down the road leading to Karabakh.
Sahakyan noted that news of the rally had caused “unease” in certain segments of society in Karabakh.
“Having reliable information that several hundred people had gone to the district of Kashatagh with the intention of preventing the car rally from entering Artsakh, the police department was forced to undertake certain operations to protect and preserve public order and to prevent possible adverse developments…the situation however had undesirable consequences,” Bako Sahakyan said alluding that those who blocked the road to Karabakh were composed mainly of civilians. In the video footage provided by the Founding Parliament of the attacks, many of those blocking the road were in uniforms.
The NKR President told the police chief to initiate an investigation into the chain of events and report back with his findings. Also taking part in the consultations were Ashot Ghulyan, Speaker of the NKR Parliament and Prime Minister Ara Harutyunyan and others.
The civic initiative Founding Parliament (formerly known as Preparliament) issued a statement on January 31 regarding the attack in Berdzor against its members. The organization said that dozens of men in civilian clothes in police vehicles, including masked police officers ambushed and attacked the participants of the car rally, who were traveling from Yerevan to Nagorno Karabakh.
Founding Parliament said that the attackers, smashed their car windows and confiscated and ripped Armenian flags they were carrying.
According to reports, nearly no one was spared in the attack including reporters and women. Anushavan Shahnazaryan, a journalist with Noyan Tapan was severely beaten and transferred to hospital. Former Karabakh war veteran Jirayr Sefilyan and all the other participants of the car rally received numerous injuries.
Founding Parliament’s initiative “100th Anniversary Without this Regime” had organized several car rallies before in Armenia. When it became known that they were planning a car rally from Yerevan to Nagorno Karabakh, they say they received several warnings from certain people in Karabakh that they would not be allowed to enter Artsakh territory and that all their activities would be obstructed.