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Armenia's Human Rights Defender Anahit Manasyan has refused to meet with Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan and his supporters in attendance of reporters.

The senior cleric on Tuesday led a march to the ombudsperson’s office in Yerevan to meet with Manasyan and hear her opinion on human rights violations in Armenia, including the latest incident in which police attempted to block Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II from entering the Sardarapat Memorial to mark the anniversary of the first Armenian republic.

The ombudswoman’s spokesman, Artur Aslanyan, first said Manasyan was ready to hold a closed meeting with the archbishop and three other people, but Galstanyan rejected the proposal.

“It’s unclear why they are avoiding a public meeting,” the protest leader said. “They will only be asked to comment on the latest incidents, whether they amount to human rights violations or not. Whether the move to ban the entry of His Holiness Karekin II into the Sardarapat Memorial or strip people of their property in Kirants qualify as violations.”