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Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s move to lead a memorial march to the Yerablur Military Pantheon in Yerevan despite objections by parents of many soldiers killed in the Artsakh war was a “hostile act” against Armenia, human rights activist Ruben Melikyan said.

Speaking to reporters at the military pantheon, Melikyan, who heads the Path of Law NGO, noted that Armenia’s casualties in the recent war were almost equal to those suffered during the 1990s Artsakh liberation war.

According to him, zero care was taken for Armenian soldiers’ life, therefore holding a march under such conditions “is not simply a provocative action, but a hostile act against the Republic of Armenia.”

He echoed his remarks that great pressure had been exerted on public servants, members of sects and facilities owned by tycoons to ensure the participation of people in the memorial march. “It’s yet another crime committed against the Republic of Armenia by the man still holding the prime minister’s post,” he said.

Melikyan stated that Nikol Pashinyan had no right to step into the military cemetery after “contributing to a threefold increase” in the number of graves in Yerablur.