Your trusted source

Reporters covering the ongoing anti-government protests outside the Armenia Marriott Hotel in central Yerevan were denied entry to the hotel hosting the Armenian Democracy Forum on Friday.

Organized by the U.S.-based watchdog Freedom House, the forum addresses, among other things, issues concerning freedom of speech. The hotel building is cordoned off by a large number of police officers.

They denied a request of reporters to be allowed into the hotel to attend the forum.

"We asked the deputy chief of police to convey our request [to organizers], but journalists were not allowed to enter the hotel and take part in the event. It was a very important event for reporters, as issues related to freedom of speech were to be discussed," said Ani Gevorgyan, a journalist for MediaHub.am.