Armenian ombudsman responds to activists’ statement

Armenian Ombudsman Karen Andreasian today started proceedings based on a public statement of activists holding a sit-in outside Yerevan Municipality. He will announce his position on the problem raised by activists as soon as possible, according to the press service of the Ombudsman Office.

In the past 11 days the Ombudsman Staff has constantly reacted to activists’ reports via the 116 hotline. Employees of the Ombudsman Staff’s Rapid Response Unit Andrey Aghamalian and Habet Martirosian have followed the developments and attended rallies if necessary.

The Ombudsman’s advisor on socioeconomic issues Armen Grigorian has regularly visited activists, providing them with legal advice.

It should be mentioned that participants of the termless sit-in outside Yerevan Municipality released today a statement to Armenian Ombudsman Karen Andreasian. In the statement, they complained about “the lack of elementary conditions for holding a protest”. The statement says that the lawns outside the municipality are constantly watered, due to which protesters cannot sit on the grass and wet sidewalks, while the street lights in the area are turned off at night “for some unknown reason”.

“We ask you to intervene so that the necessary conditions could be created for us to hold protest actions,” the statement reads. Activists also asked Karen Andreasian to help them receive permission to pitch a tent.