Statement

As it was stated earlier, the RA Police, being guided by Article 33 of the RA Law "On Freedom of Assemblies", on April 16, 2018, in accordance with the procedure established by law, decided to stop the rally organized by National Assembly deputy Nikol Pashinyan.
On demand of the law, this morning, Nikol Pashinyan was informed about the decision of the Police. However, the meeting organizer ignored the requirements of the mentioned decision, failed to fulfill the duties of a meeting organizer stipulated by law, urging the participants to continue the meeting and take actions that violate public order and impede exercising the rights and freedoms of other persons.
Part 3 of Article 33 of the RA Law "On Freedom of Assemblies" in a similar situation gives the Police the authority to disperse the meeting, including the use of special means.
Police of the Republic of Armenia are ready to fulfill their obligations, which can be done at any time, and we urge the meeting participants to refrain from illegal actions in order to avoid undesirable consequences.
Taking into account the consequences of such actions, we call on journalists covering the assembly to keep a reasonable distance.