Armen Manvelyan: What happened outside the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was an act of provocation aimed to discredit the movement and the Holy Father

The videos clearly show that there was an act of provocation, but it came from the back row; they were throwing bottles; but those who were doing this from the back row were not arrested, member of the Hayakve initiative Armen Manvelyan told ABC Media.

“Those who were arrested had been standing in the front row; they were just talking with police officers, and they saw that they didn’t do anything wrong. False charges have been brought. A man was taken who was simply trying to calm them down because the police were behaving outrageously, attacking women. Now, it seems, they are bringing a criminal case against him as well,” Manvelyan said.

According to him, what happened was an organized act of provocation aimed to discredit the movement and Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan.

“Videos clearly show that if there was someone abusing power, it was the police officers who were beating, even when people were leaving without resistance,” he said.

Referring to the refusal of the interior and foreign ministers to meet with Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan, Manvelyan said: “We are dealing with a political regime where ministers cannot even be called ministers; these people are the servants of the head of the present political regime. A person having such status cannot go to a meeting unless his boss gives him permission. These people do not have the opportunity to act on their own.”