More than 16,000 Armenian citizens have joined the ballot initiative HayaKve (Armenian vote) in the past week, Avetik Chalabian, an opposition figure coordinating the initiative, reveals.

The movement was launched by a group of political activists and public figures who since early July have been collecting signatures in support of their demands for making it a crime to recognize Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) as part of Azerbaijan.

According to Chalabyan, as many as 54,800 citizens – including 24,660 in Yerevan and 29.380 in the provinces – have joined the initiative so far, the first phase of which is set to wrap on August 4.

The group also seeks to criminalize any government decision to stop campaigning for the international recognition of the Armenian Genocide at the hands of Ottoman Turkey between 1915 and 1923.

Law in Armenia requires the National Assembly to debate any initiative backed by at least 50,000 citizens. A petition signed by at least 300,000 Armenians must be put on a referendum.