When? Tuesday, 13 September, 12h30 – 14h00, a light lunch will be served
Where? European Endowment for Democracy, Avenue des Gaulois 29, 1040 Brussels
SPEAKERS
Vardine Grigoryan, Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly Vanadzor
Nataliya Novakova, International Partnership for Human Rights
Mushegh Yekmalyan, Head of European Affairs, International Rehabilitation Council of Torture Victims
MODERATOR
Alexandra Kirby, Programme Officer, European Endowment for Democracy
One quiet Sunday morning, on July 17, 2016, a group of armed rebels calling themselves the Sasna Tsrer (Daredevils of Sassoun) violently took over a Yerevan police station. This sparked a wide outpouring of public discontent with the government and over the next two weeks, thousands of Armenians went to the streets to protest in support of the rebels’ demands – at the same time, drawing a line against their violent means. Their largely peaceful protests were forcefully dispersed several times by the Armenian authorities.
What prompted Armenians to come out and protest? What, if anything, have the protests changed? What is the current state of democracy in Armenia – also following changes made to the constitution in 2015 – and what more can be done to proactively promote the respect of human rights and rule of law in Armenia? This discussion will also feature a presentation of the report Beaten Burnt and Betrayed: Armenians Awaiting Accountability for Police Violence, prepared by IPHR in the framework of a Civic Solidarity Platform (CSP), as a result of a fact-finding mission in late July. (The new report will be published shortly).
The event will take place in English. We hope you can join us. Welcome!
Please confirm your attendance here https://goo.gl/forms/ciF4bvIy7RPRUnOH3 by 10 September.