By Mark Dovich
Thousands of demonstrators demanding the resignation of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan took to the streets of Yerevan on Tuesday for a second consecutive day of acts of protest and civil disobedience, marching, holding sit-ins, and attempting to block major thoroughfares in the capital’s downtown.
As of late Tuesday morning, at least 70 demonstrators had been detained, according to a police spokesman.
Monday saw police in Yerevan detain at least 244 demonstrators, many on charges of refusing to obey officers’ orders. Apparent video footage of some of the arrests quickly began circulating on social media.
“We have many cases of violence” by police against protesters, said Ishkhan Saghatelyan, an opposition lawmaker who has emerged as one of the leaders of the protests. There are also reports that some lawmakers and journalists at the rallies Monday were detained.
Kristinne Grigoryan, Armenia’s human rights defender, released a lengthy statement Monday evening “condemning the unlawful actions of police officers” in responding to the protests that day.
In addition to disproportionate use of force, Grigoryan’s office also reported other instances of police misconduct, including detaining demonstrators without explaining charges against them and holding detainees without charge beyond the maximum time limit set out in Armenian law.
Civil society activists have also criticized the police response as disproportionate.
In sharp contrast, a number of lawmakers from the ruling Civil Contract party released statements thanking the police for “maintaining public order in a professional way and not giving in to provocations.”
The surge in protest activity across Armenia comes in response to a controversial speech Pashinyan gave to parliament early last month that many in Armenia interpreted as an indication of his willingness to cede control over Karabakh to Azerbaijan in ongoing peace efforts.
The speech prompted widespread outrage both in Armenia and in Karabakh. Thousands of protesters have since come out to the streets of Yerevan, calling themselves the Resistance Movement and preemptively rejecting any deal with Azerbaijan that would see ethnic Armenians lose control over Karabakh.
Sunday evening saw the Armenia Alliance and the I Have Honor Alliance, the two opposition parties with representation in parliament, organize a large rally in central Yerevan. About 12,500 people took part in the event, including former Presidents Robert Kocharyan and Serzh Sargsyan, according to the Union of Informed Citizens, a prominent civil society group.
In turn, Sunday’s demonstration was meant to be the culmination of a week of “decentralized” opposition activities across the country, which included protests in Yerevan and marches on the capital from four towns, all chosen for symbolic purposes.