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The Yerevan Municipality has rejected opposition activist Avetik Chalabyan’s claims that the municipal authorities are obstructing a collection of signatures by the HayaKve initiative.

Earlier last week, the Central Electoral Commission of Armenia (CEC) allowed the HayaKve initiative to launch a signature collection for its draft law seeking to criminalize the recognition of Artsakh as part of any other country and the renunciation of the Armenian Genocide recognition. The group needs to collect 50,000 signatures to introduce the bill in the parliament.

Speaking at a news conference in Yerevan on Monday, Chalabyan claimed heads of some Yerevan districts had refused to provide spaces for the collection of signatures in the Armenian capital over the past week in violation of the referendum law, citing a decision by acting Yerevan mayor Levon Hovhannisyan.

“The matter refers to the Avan, Nor Nork, Kentron, Nubarashen, and Ajapnyak administrative districts The Yerevan Municipality announces that Mr. Chalabyan has distorted the facts, because officials of the administrative districts did not refuse to prove areas to the group, but, referring to the principle of separation of powers, asked him to apply to the Yerevan Municipality for permission. We are sure that Mr. Chalabyan has mistaken the proposal for a rejection,” the city hall said in a statement.