Statement

Since early morning of April 17, 2018, Nikol Pashinyan has been urging the participants of the rally to surround and block government buildings, state bodies and other departments and thereby impede their normal activities and disorganize the work.
In the afternoon, a small number of participants of the rally, being guided by the appeals of Nikol Pashinyan, moved to the buildings around the Republic Square and, through direct and indirect orders of Pashinyan, in small groups began blocking the entrance to the buildings of state bodies, including some ministries, executive authorities and law enforcement agencies, as well as courts.
Simultaneously, Nikol Pashinyan urged the meeting participants to enter the blocked buildings at the first opportunity and paralyze the activities of employees performing their duties.
Police of the Republic of Armenia state that the aforementioned actions go beyond the scope of the right to organize and participate in peaceful assemblies, guaranteed by the Constitution and law. Moreover, some of these manifestations coincide with the signs of actions pursued by the criminal law.
Police states that in the current situation, especially when there is a decision to terminate the assembly, of which the rally organizers have been notified, there are legitimate grounds foreseen by the law and the Constitution, not only to disperse the meeting, but also to prevent and suppress continuing criminal activities.
At the same time, the RA Police informs that rumors about large-scale operations, revolutionary situations, tensions or instability in different regions and cities of Armenia are absolutely disinformation and have nothing to do with reality, therefore we urge the meeting participants and media representatives to refrain from such provocative behavior.