STATEMENT

The participants of the assembly organized by "Voch talanin" initiative on "Freedom Square" of the city of Yerevan on September 11, violating the route defined by the decision of Mayor's authorized representative, dated 08.09.2015, and not following the procedures prescribed by the RA law on "Freedom of assembly" carried out a march towards Baghramyan Avenue, completely blocking the traffic along it. Moreover, the organizers and participants of the rally defied police warnings to cease the blockage of traffic along Baghramyan avenue, keeping blocked one of the capital’s main transport arteries for several hours on end.
On September 11 about 11 p.m. the RA Police issued a statement which reads as follows:
1. The march towards Baghramyan Avenue, as well as the continual blockage of traffic is illegal, as the assembly organizers’ relevant actions violated the demands of the RA law on “Freedom of Assembly” (namely article 32, part 2);
2. The assembly held on Baghramyan Avenue is not a spontaneous one, as the authorized body had enough data that it had been organized in advance (RA law on “Freedom of Assembly", article 26, part 1).
3. The right to hold peaceful assemblies does not have absolute nature and in a democratic society it may be limited for the sake of protection of constitutional rights of other people in order to prevent any disproportionate restrictions thereof (article 43 of the Constitution of the RA and Article 5 of the law of the RA on “Freedom of Assembly”).
Therefore, the periodically disseminated allegations that a peaceful assembly has an absolute nature and can never be banned or suspended, lack legal foundations.
In line with the same announcement Police of the RA has stated that despite the illegal nature of the assembly organizers’ actions, Police attaches importance to the the fact that the assembly organizers and participants should have enough time to raise their demands, as well as to present them to the public, competent authorities and other officials, therefore the assembly organizers were given 6 hours to raise their demands and to voluntarily cease the illegal blockage of Baghramyan Avenue.
After the expiry of the mentioned deadline on September 12 at 5 a.m. the representative of the Police addressed to the organizers of the assembly to notify about the demands of the authorized body, however the organizers did not react to the appropriate actions of the Police representative, who then addressed to the participants of the assembly with the demand to voluntarily cease the blockage of Baghramyan Avenue within 30 minutes, as the disproportionate restriction of other citizens’ constitutional rights and that of public interests could not be prevented otherwise.
Police of the RA suggested the assembly participants that they should leave the avenue’s carriageway and continue the assembly beyond it or on Yerevan’s ‘‘Freedom’’ Square, simultaneously Police notified that if the this demand would not be carried out within reasonable time the Police will be forced to compulsively cease the illegal blockage of Baghramyan Avenue acting within the frame of its powers vested by law.
The participants of the assembly defied this demand as well and after the expiry of the deadline, Police of the RA undertook measures to eliminate the blockage of Baghramyan Avenue. During the police operation apparent offenders were taken to police stations.
On September 12 at 6 a.m. the regular traffic along Baghramyan Avenue was fully restored. 

Police of the Republic of Armenia