RPA members protest outside Armenian parliament, urge EU to act on rights abuses

Members of the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) staged a protest outside the Armenian parliament on Thursday, condemning silence over abuses by the Armenian and Azerbaijani authorities.

Speaking at the rally, RPA council member Hayk Derzyan accused Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan of fostering “impunity” and attempting to entrench an anti-democratic order. Addressing Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Michael O'Flaherty, who had visited the parliament, Derzyan said failing to speak out against injustices was “tantamount to a crime”.

The protest was organized to coincide with O’Flaherty’s visit and expressed support for political prisoners in Armenia as well as Armenian prisoners held in Azerbaijan.

Derzyan said Armenian authorities were presenting misleading information to the CoE commissioner and making public claims about democracy that he said were disconnected from government policy.

He urged European institutions to uphold the European Union’s founding principles of democracy, free speech, freedom of movement and the rule of law, adding that failing to press both Yerevan and Baku to end abuses would risk “new disasters”.