Armenia: Activists plan protest in Yerevan Feb. 22

Event

Activists led by the Homeland Salvation Movement will protest in Yerevan Feb. 22. Participants will gather at Arabkir Park around 1800. The action is to call for the resignation of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in reaction to the signing of an agreement ending the country's conflict with neighboring Azerbaijan over the Nagorno-Karabakh region. Organizers have called for a subsequent march through the city center, but have withheld further details regarding the route.

Authorities will likely deploy additional police resources to the park, and to potential protest sites elsewhere in the city, including city squares and government buildings. Security forces will almost certainly respond quickly to any disruptive or unauthorized actions. Clashes are possible between demonstrators and security personnel, as well as between opposing activists.

Advice

Avoid the protest as a standard security precaution. Allow additional time for travel in the vicinity of Arabkir Park and throughout the city center, the evening of Feb. 22. Heed the instructions of local authorities. Leave the area at the first sign of a confrontation; do not stop to take photographs.