Every citizen has the right to express their opinion, and in recent times, if people were following Nikol Pashinyan’s demands, they would be protesting. The question remains, will the authorities arrest these protesters? On June 13, journalist Zhanna Alekseyan revealed in an interview with NEWS.am that during the demonstrations on Baghramyan Avenue, there were instances where demonstrators, with the involvement of the authorities, used special measures against journalists.

“The best way to prevent this chaos is by engaging in a civil dialogue. Why haven’t they met? Do people not have the right to protest?” she questioned.

Alekseyan asserts, “I can confidently say that excessive force has been used. This excessive force was predominantly directed towards a faction within the crowd that was not part of the main group but instead followed the opposition. The number of journalists present was not significant, making it easier for the authorities to identify and target those journalists who were throwing stones or bottles. I have witnessed instances where journalists were even breaking branches to use as projectiles. However, this does not justify the use of special measures. They need to differentiate between individuals and address the overall course of the protest.”

According to Alekseyan, the number of injured protesters surpassed the number of injured journalists.

“Given this disproportion, it is unacceptable to use special measures such as lighting flares that cause numerous injuries. This occurred on the night of June 1, when unrest and violence continued outside, away from the main group. Despite this, the authorities persisted in their response, disregarding the citizens. While Bagrat Sargsyan may be held accountable, it is crucial to acknowledge that there was a crowd gathered and that violence was employed. This demonstrates that political forces hold control and routinely harm the citizenry,” she stated.

In response to a question regarding whether the journalist thinks it was demonstrators who set the journalists ablaze while recording the injured, Alekseyan replied.

“I cannot make such a statement that the individuals who burned the journalists were journalists themselves. However, it is evident that there were journalists on-site. An investigation will determine the identity of the demonstrators, considering that many were masked,” she concluded.

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