Arrest of fallen soldier's mother sparks protest in Yerevan
A protest against the arrest of Gayane Hakobyan, the mother of soldier Zhora Martirosyan who was killed in the 2020 Artsakh war, erupted in Yerevan, Armenia’s capital, late on Saturday afternoon.
The Shengavit District Court of General Jurisdiction in Yerevan ordered the woman’s arrest for a month after she was accused of attempting to “kidnap” Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s son, Ashot Pashinyan, on Wednesday.
A group of other persons who lost their sons during the 44-day war, as well as public and political activists gathered outside the court building to show support for Hakobyan.
They blocked traffic along the Arshakunyants Avenue before marching towards Republic Square in central Yerevan.
Marching near the French and Russian Embassies, the protesters urged the ambassadors to respond to the arrest of a hero’s mother.
"We are all Gayane, freedom for Gayane!" they chanted.
"Nikol Pashinyan has crossed all red lines, there is no democracy here. Freedom for the first woman political prisoner!" the protesters said outside the embassies.
They urged all to join them.
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