Top U.S. diplomat meets opposition MPs in Armenia

PanARMENIAN.Net - U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor Kara C. McDonald on Thursday, June 9 met with opposition lawmakers in Armenia to discuss the situation in the domestic political situation, as well as the spheres of judiciary, law enforcement, press and freedom of speech in the country.

Lawmakers from Armenia bloc Aram Vardevanyan, Anna Grigoryan, Gegham Manukyan, as well as MP from the "I have honor" bloc, Chairwoman of the Standing Committee on Protection of Human Rights and Public Affairs Taguhi Tovmasyan participated in the meeting initiated by the American side, Armenia bloc said in a statement.

The bloc said "violence perpetrated by the law enforcement agencies during the peaceful demonstrations", and all the violations that have been registered in the judiciary in recent years in the field of human rights and fundamental freedoms were on the table.

"A reference was made to the pressure on the press, the government's steps to limit the activities of the media through numerous legislative changes," the statement added.

In recent months, protesters demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan have taken to the streets to block major roads in the capital Yerevan and call on the population to commit acts of civil disobedience. Pashinian has come under fire after he and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev agreed to start drafting a bilateral peace treaty to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and set up a joint commission on demarcating the borders.