Yerevan Mayor’s Office prohibits student protest

PanARMENIAN.Net - On May 12, members of the Right to Education initiative group Sos Avetisyan and Daniel Ioanisyan applied to Yerevan Mayor’s Office for an authorization to hold a rally at Aznavour Square on May 19 and a procession from the central building of Yerevan State University to the government’s building on May 20.

“The rally and procession were aimed at protesting against the governmental decision on cutting the number of seats in MA and post-graduate courses, which guarantee draft deferment. On May 14, Yerevan Mayor’s Office made a decision on prohibiting these events,” a statement of the initiative group reads.

According to the statement, in its decision the Mayor’s Office made a reference to a law provision, which says that organization of mass events at territories of cultural or sport complexes may be prohibited by relevant bodies to secure normal process of events organized at such complexes.

“However, Aznavour Square is neither a cultural nor a sport complex, and rallies were organized there on numerous occasions,” members of the Right to Education group stressed.

“As for the procession, its organization was prohibited on the grounds that it may restrict the rights and freedoms of other citizens. However, the Mayor’s Office has not clarified which freedoms will be restricted. Besides, the Mayor’s Office has not offered another day or other conditions for conducting the protest actions that is foreseen under Article 13 of the RA Law on Conducting Meetings, Assemblies, Rallies and Demonstrations,” the statement reads.

On May 17, Daniel Ioanisyan and Sos Avetisyan applied to the RA Administrative Court, demanding from it that it nullify decisions of the Mayor’s Office on these issues. The court will hear this case on May 18.