Yerevan activists put forward conditions for ending hunger strike

For the second day already, the participants of the protest action in Yerevan, Narek Kirakosyan and Arthur Avagyan, continue their hunger strike in protest against the statements of the Armenian Prime Minister, Nikol Pashinyan, on the status of Nagorno-Karabakh. They stated they would stop their action and move on to other forms of struggle as soon as enough supporters joined them.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on April 17, Arthur Vanetsyan, the head of the "I have the honour" parliamentary faction, and his supporters announced a round-the-clock protest action in Yerevan. The MP Vanetsyan and several dozen oppositionists remained in the square at night on April 18.

Messrs Kirakosyan and Avagyan continue their hunger strike against "the lowering the bar on the status of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh)". People come up to them and urge them to stop their hunger strike and continue their struggle by means of a sit-down picket.

The 29-year-old Kirakosyan said that he had served in Karabakh, was an officer, and in 2020, he took part in the Karabakh war. He has noted that he addresses his action to those who were born after the 1990s, and for whom Karabakh and its statehood should be an absolute value.

Arthur Avagyan, 27, said that activists will stop their action "as soon as the right people (with critical thinking) gather."

The "Movement 5165" has joined the protest. Its activists have stated that they "are seeking Nikol Pashinyan's resignation."

Karin Tonoyan, the founder of the movement, whose son perished in the 2020 Karabakh war, believes that people should forbid Pashinyan to negotiate on Karabakh. "He should be replaced by someone who can represent the people, and who is more resolute," she said.