COPENHAGEN, 20 April 2018 - On the eighth consecutive day of protests in Yerevan and other cities in Armenia, Ignacio Sanchez Amor (MP, Spain), Chair of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s human rights committee, today called on all sides to engage in constructive dialogue.

"I welcome the civic engagement of people turning out to exercise their right to freedom of expression through peaceful protest," said Sanchez Amor, the Chair of the OSCE PA's General Committee on Democracy, Human Rights and Humanitarian Questions. "This right must be respected by the authorities, and I take note of reports of instances of excessive use of force. At the same time, I remind that the right to peaceful protest does not enable demonstrators to force their way into buildings and disrupt proceedings. I call on all sides to exercise due restraint to ensure that all Armenians can peacefully express their opinions, and call for a prompt return to constructive dialogue. In this context, freedom of the press is of paramount importance and journalists should be protected against any form of violence."

Sanchez Amor served as Special Co-ordinator and leader of the short-term OSCE observer mission to the April 2017 parliamentary elections in Armenia.