There is no desire to use measures of compulsion, but permissiveness cannot prevail in the country – Serzh Sargsyan speaks about Yerevan rallies

Holding rallies in Armenia should not hinder and violate the rights of others in a disproportionate way, Prime Minister of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan said during an interview with Shant TV, referring to the recent days’ rallies in Armenia.

“In societies, not only in Armenia, there are always discontents. In other countries often those discontents are sharper because unfortunately, living standards do not give people the opportunity to satisfy all their desires. But here the issue is not in discontents, neither in changes.

You may have noticed during years to what extent we have increased the opportunity of people to express their complaints and discontents. It’s already several years that there is no kind of prohibition to express people’s discontent, with the exception of non-peaceful ways. I think it’s beneficial for both the authorities and those people. The issue is to what extent those discontents or protests expressed in line with the law”, the PM said. He emphasized that when everything is in line with the law, there is no problem at all.

“Understanding that their way of expressing discontents, rallies marches and so on, will to some extent restrict the rights and freedoms of other citizens and the public, there is a red line that shouldn’t be crossed. And the law enforcement bodies and the authorities and the citizens that do not participate in the protests conform to that idea bearing some inconveniency. But when some hundreds of people or oven thousand cross the line of peaceful protests and start to hinder violate the rights of others in a disproportionate way, here a question arises – why should parents be worried sending their children to schools, why a worker should be late for work 3-4 hours just for the reason that some people want to create instability in the country? Some dozens of people have decided to create instability in the country. This is the issue”, Serzh Sargsyan said.

Referring to the question how long all these can continue, the PM expressed conviction that the Armenian people is a prudent people and in similar cases always makes the right decision.

“We see how restrained the law enforcement bodies were during these protests. I wouldn’t like the disproportionate situation to be violated to the extent that the law enforcement bodies are forced to use measures of compulsion. This is all. There is no desire to use measures of compulsion, but permissiveness cannot prevail in the country”, PM Sargsyan said.