Pashinyan demands that organizers of protest in Meghri be held accountable for violation of law
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan ordered today the heads of the law-enforcement agencies to hold accountable a group of people who spearheaded a protest against his visit to the town of Meghri.
YEREVAN, April 21. /ARKA/. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan ordered today the heads of the law-enforcement agencies to hold accountable a group of people who spearheaded a protest against his visit to the town of Meghri.
Earlier today residents of the southern Armenian town of Meghri in the Syunik region greeted the visiting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan with whistles and insults.
Pashinyan made a surprise visit to Syunik on April 20, having visited several villages, and later that day he also visited the provincial capital Kapan, where he spent the night. On Wednesday morning he headed for Meghri.
In Meghri, Pashinyan was booed by the locals who shouted insults, including “Nikol the traitor,” “Nikol the Turk,” “The capitulator.”
Accompanied by shouts “Traitor, you sold Artsakh, and now you have come to sell Syunik”, “Syunik is our land”, “Syunik is our homeland, we will not give it up”, Pashinyan walked through the crowd flanked by his bodyguards as police officers were trying to push back the crowd.
"I would like to refer to today's incident in Meghri,' Pashinyan told the heads of law-enforcement agencies who were in Kapan, the capital of Syunik.
'It is clear that the law was violated. And I expect that the law enforcement agencies will react in a very clear and harsh manner, because it is impossible to allow an atmosphere of impunity in Armenia. Mr. Abazyan (head of the National Security Service) and Mr. Ghazaryan (head of police), I expect from you sharp and special actions to resolve this issue, so that the perpetrators are called to account in front of the public," Pashinyan said.
A representative of the Investigative Committee reported to the Prime Minister that materials were being prepared to initiate criminal cases. Pashinyan told Abazyan and Ghazaryan to get immediately down to executing his order.
Last December, residents of Syunik did not allow Pashinyan to enter the region, blocking the highway near Goris. Then the prime minister was content with visiting Sisian. -0-