Regional school staffs forced to attend Avinyan's campaign rallies, lawyer says
Lawyer Arsen Babayan warns that staffs of schools in Armenia’s regions are being forced to attend election campaign rallies of the ruling Civil Contract party’s Yerevan mayoral candidate, Tigran Avinyan.
In a social media post on Thursday, he says three school principals has contacted him for legal consultations to defend the rights of their employees when the local government officials force them either to attend the campaign rallies in Yerevan or get fired.
“I have provided legal advice to them, urging then to collect evidence, including recordings, regarding the coercion to participate in the rallies,” the lawyer wrote.
The ruling team was earlier accused of forcing public sector employees in Yerevan to attend Avinyan’s campaign rallies.
Yerevan residents will elect a new municipal council that will in turn appoint a new mayor of the Armenian capital on September 17. Thirteen parties and one bloc are vying for the City Council seats.