‘Stop political repression in Armenia’ – protest during Armenian FM’s speech in Strasbourg

During the address of Armenia’s Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan in Strasbourg, members of the Armenian diaspora staged a protest against the persecution of the Armenian Apostolic Church and systemic human rights violations. Despite the rain, around 30 Armenians from Germany and France gathered to remind European institutions that the real situation in the country sharply differs from Yerevan’s official rhetoric.

The demonstrators loudly chanted: “Stop political repression in Armenia!”, “Freedom for all political prisoners!”, “Constitution, not persecution!”, “Church and State: Keep them separate!”, “An archbishop belongs in the church, not in prison!”, “Justice for Artsakh!”, and “Recognize the 2023 Genocide of Armenians in Artsakh!”.