REPORTS IN ENGLISH

22 April, 2018 18:43 EU states the freedom of assembly is a universal and fundamental right of all The European Union expects the Armenian authorities to fully respect this right and to apply the law in a fair and proportionate manner, in accordance with Armenia’s international obligations, including in particular under the European Convention on the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms. All those who have been detained while exercising their fundamental right of assembly in accordance with the law must be released immediately.

22 April, 2018 12:53 Pashinyan Detained by Police After Talks with PM Collapse It’s been 10 days of public protests and acts of civil disobedience in Yerevan, and across Armenia. These acts have worked to throttle day to day governance and impact business as usual as roads, intersections and highways have been blocked at different times.

Nikol Pashinyan, the face and voice of the movement, has been leading daily marches throughout Yerevan. These marches have steadily gained in numbers, and as a result, have picked up momentum as the days have gone on. For the past 5 nights, the daily marches have culminated in a public rally held in Yerevan’s Republic Sq, with a backdrop of government buildings, the Marriott Armenia and The National Gallery of Armenia. 22 April, 2018 11:16 The Conversation of Nikol Pashinyan and Serzh Sargsyan On the morning of April 22, Nikol Pashinyan, leader of the #RejectSerzh protest movement and Member of Parliament, met with Prime Minister Serzh Sarsgyan. The meeting took place in the Marriott Armenia hotel and lasted only three minutes. Below is the English translation of the conversation. 21 April, 2018 17:45 Serzh Sargsyan responded to the open letter of the Luys Foundation graduates My appointment as prime minister was conditioned by a simple fact: in this region of complex geopolitics and period of new challenges, we have to ensure the country's safe development and continue efforts towards a dignified settlement of the Karabakh issue,” said Serzh Sargsyan. 21 April, 2018 16:09 Serj Tankian to protesters: You’ve already won the cultural revolution He suggests that protesters make concrete demands and insist on the resignation of Serzh Sargsyan not only from the seat of the Prime Minister, but also as head of the ruling Republican Party. Then, he continues, protesters should insist on a package of reforms with “a timeline for the new government to enact and execute them.” 21 April, 2018 15:08 40,000 gather in Armenia to demand leader’s resignation. The Washington Post About 40,000 demonstrators have gathered in Armenia’s capital as a week of protests against the country’s new prime minister showed no sign of dissipating.

Protesters are calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Serzh Sargsyan, the former president who was appointed this week under a new system that gives the prime minister expanded powers and diminishes the presidency. 21 April, 2018 00:53 More Protesters in Yerevan’s Streets, More Unlawful Arrests Policemen were also active -- with 183 people taken into detention. 20 April, 2018 17:44 There was a clear danger that Sargsyan is becoming “the Armenian Putin” Dr. Fernando Casal Bértoa is a comparative political scientist and Assistant Professor at the University of Nottingham. He has been engaged in the debate regarding constitutional reform since 2014-2015 in Armenia. Back in 2015, in an interview with CivilNet https://www.civilnet.am/news/2015/10/26/what-armenia-really-needs-is-power-alteration/280253, he said that the transition to a parliamentary form of government might help Armenia become more democratic. Meanwhile, he was stressing that what Armenia needs most is power alteration. Dr. Bertoa spoke to CivilNet recently about the current protest movement in Armenia. 20 April, 2018 15:06 LIVE BLOG. Rallies in Yerevan, April 20 CivilNet continues to cover protest rallies in Yerevan with direct video and text updates from the ground as they happen.

On the evening of April 19, at the evening rally in Republic Square, Nikol Pashinyan called on peaceful protestors to block the streets in Yerevan starting in the morning, recommending people use trucks to block the streets as they are more difficult to remove from their parked location [than smaller vehicles]. 20 April, 2018 10:27 Armenia’s unpopular president makes himself prime minister. The Economist The article was originally published by The Economist
“I BELIEVE that one person must not aspire to the reins of power more than twice in a lifetime,” Serzh Sargsyan, then president of Armenia, declared in 2014 But the unpopular Mr Sargsyan, whose second and final consecutive term as president expired on April 9th, was just kidding On April 17th the national assembly, stacked with loyalists, elected him as the country’s new prime minister Even many members of the biggest “opposition” group voted for him If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, Vladimir Putin must be smiling
Around 10,000 protesters in Yerevan, the capital, took to the streets before the vote, chanting “Reject Serzh” Police used teargas to disperse them With hindsight Mr Sargsyan’s intentions have long been clear Constitutional changes he enacted in December 2015, which take effect this month, grant the prime minister nearly all the powers previously held by the president The 20 ապրիլ, 2018 08:25 Seventh Day Of Protest Alongside The Honks Of Cars The People’s Velvet Revolution continued today its peaceful movement.

This 7th day of intense marches took place alongside the supportive honks of cars and passers by.

The drivers joined the marchers and made noise throughout the city to express their discontent with the confirmation of Serzh Sargsyan on the post of prime minister.
19 ապրիլ, 2018 02:05 People’s Velvet Revolution Faces Police Violence On the 6th day of protests, people continue to gather here at Republic Square to express their discontent with the confirmation of Serzh Sargsyan to the post of prime minister. The police started taking action in France square. They detained peaceful protesters and opened the blocked traffic in the square. Up to 100 citizens, mostly students and youth, have been detained. 18 April, 2018 23:04 Same Streets, Same Demands, But Something's Different On April 17, Serzh Sargsyan was elected Armenia’s prime minister in a parliament session under siege. Armored police officers stood within a few hundred feet of the National Assembly as throngs of protesters headed toward the building, demanding Sargsyan step down.
The ruling Republican Party of Armenia (RPA), together with its coalition partner the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF), confirmed Sargsyan with a 77-17 vote.
In 2015, nearing the end of his second presidential term, Sargsyan presided over a contentious constitutional referendum that changed the country’s governing system from a semi-presidential to a parliamentary one. The referendum reduced the presidency to a ceremonial role and increased the prime minister’s powers.

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