After announced protest action, police cordons off Armenia's MoE building

Today, hundreds of law enforcers were brought to the building of the Ministry of Education (MoE) of Armenia before Nikol Pashinyan's visit there. Only three activists gathered in the venue, just to show how authorities fear protests, the opposition has stated.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that Nikol Pashinyan's opponents are holding protest actions in order to prevent him from travelling freely. Thus, on March 13, activists tried to block the building of the Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), where Pashinyan made his working visit; and when the Premier came to meet President, Armen Sargsyan, they blocked the exit from the presidential residence.

This morning, Armenian policemen cordoned off the building of the Ministry of Education, Sciences, Culture and Sports. Nikol Pashinyan had planned to hold a working meeting in this building, the "Sputnik Armenia" has reported citing Mane Gevorkyan, the Premier's press secretary.

Members of the Youth Wing of the ARF "Dashnaktsutyun" Party had announced a protest action near the MoE by scheduling it for 10:00 a.m., an hour before Pashinyan's visit, said Kristina Vardanyan, the ARF's spokesperson. At the appointed time, only three protesters came to the MoE's building; there was already a cordon of hundreds of policemen. "The aim of our action is to show how great the fear of the ruling power is, in what psychological state they (authorities) are," the "News-Armenia" has quoted Ms Vardanyan as saying.

The action has shown that in the country's difficult post-war time the taxes paid by Armenian citizens are used to rent buses for the police and ensure the safety of the Premier, Kristina Vardanyan has emphasized.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on March 17, 2021 at 11:17 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.