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Anti-government protests grow in Armenia amid border deal with Azerbaijan
By Paul Vartan Sookiasian A second senior clergyman of the Armenian Apostolic Church has started a march to Yerevan in opposition to a controversial border delimitation deal with Azerbaijan. Protesters led by Mikael Adjapahyan, Archbishop of the northwestern Shirak region, left Gyumri today with plans to join Archbishop of Tavush Bagrat Galstanyan’s march as it approaches Yerevan. The Diocese of Artsakh, led by Bishop Vrtanes Abrahamyan, has also encouraged its followers to join the marches. Upon reaching Yerevan, the protesters will rally at four in the afternoon in the city’s central Republic Square. Meanwhile, the border delimitation process they are […]
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Armenia hopes to normalize relations with Baku by November, says
By Mark Dovich Yerevan hopes to sign a normalization deal with Baku by November and expects steps in that direction at talks later this week in Kazakhstan, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has indicated. “I share the idea of signing a peace agreement by November…and I hope that progress will be made at the upcoming meeting in Almaty,” Pashinyan told reporters during a lengthy and wide-ranging press conference in Yerevan Tuesday. November is the month Azerbaijan is set to host this year’s United Nations climate talks. That arrangement came about after Baku agreed last year to hand over nearly three […]
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Armenia watches as protests against ‘foreign agent’ bill rock Georgia
Tens of thousands of people have been taking to the streets in cities across Georgia for over a month now to protest the ruling Georgian Dream party’s renewed plans to require groups that receive funding from abroad to register as “foreign agents.”The country’s law enforcement has been cracking down on the demonstrations, detaining and injuring dozens, including Ana Tsitlidze, a member of parliament from the United National Movement, Georgia’s main opposition party. Ana Tsitlidze joins CivilNet’s Mark Dovic to discuss the latest developments in Georgia and what they may mean for the region as a whole.
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U.S. Ambassador to Azerbaijan Pays First Visit to Shushi Under
By Paul Vartan Sookiasian The U.S. Ambassador to Azerbaijan Mark Libby made a visit to the occupied town of Shushi in Nagorno-Karabakh today following public pressure from Azerbaijani officials. In an interview published Friday with Radio Azadliq, Radio Liberty’s Azerbaijani service, Libby was asked why he has yet to make a visit to Shushi, a historic town in Karabakh that is part of the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region. Libby replied that while he has visited many parts of Azerbaijan, “It is clear that the returned territories are slightly different. Even more coordination is required. However, I don’t want to be a […]
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Tavush residents march to Yerevan as opposition to border delimitation
By Mark Dovich Hundreds of residents from the border village of Kirants in Armenia’s northeastern Tavush region and supporters are marching to Yerevan, as opposition to a border delimitation agreement reached with Azerbaijan last month continues to grow. That first-of-its-kind deal to delimit, or legally define, a section of the border between Tavush and Azerbaijan’s northwestern Gazakh district is expected to involve Yerevan handing over to Baku four abandoned villages along the border. That prospect has prompted concern in Kirants and other nearby communities that people may be forced from their homes if Azerbaijan takes control of pieces of land […]
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Democracy Watch: Violent dispersion of protesters and media polarization
By Tigran Grigoryan and Karena Avedissian Violent Dispersion of Protesters in Kirants Police have violently dispersed demonstrators protesting the handover of four villages to Azerbaijan. The detainment of three dozen protesters who were blocking the road in Kirants, Tavush region violates Armenian citizens’ right to peaceful assembly. Armenian human rights defender Artur Sakunts notes that “when peaceful demonstrators are detained, law enforcement must provide valid justification for their actions,” and continues highlighting that in this case, the police’s actions contravene both local laws and the European Convention on Human Rights. Furthermore, the response by law enforcement appears disproportionate to the […]
